Fave, with Ham

Young, tender Fave - that's Broad Beans to the uninitiated - cooked with a beguiling combination of ham, pepper and garlic. It's one of the spanish dishes I regularly turn to in summer and is associated in my mind with late night al fresco dining, with only the sound of the garden fountain in the darkness, as the heat gently seeps from the day.

For two.

Ingredients: 1 kg young broad beans (if young, they have the additional advantage that they don't need to be skinned); half a medium onion; 1 clove garlic; 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs oil; 100g ham (serrano if you're being purist - I use pancetta); half a red pepper, seeded; 1 tbs flour; approx 350 ml stock (chicken probably - if I have something to hand that's a little more interesting, like pheasant, then I generally use that); chopped parsley (for garnish); seasoning.

Method:

1. Over medium heat, in a pan melt the butter together with the oil. Add to this the finely chopped onion and garlic and cook for about five minutes until their texture has collapsed.

2. Finely dice the ham and the red pepper, and add these to the pan. Continue to cook for a further five minutes.

3. Add the fave beans to the pan, sprinkle over them the flour and stir to incorporate. After a minute, add the stock, bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for about twenty minutes until the liquid has all but gone, and the beans are sitting in a dense sauce. 

4. Check, and add seasoning to taste. Allow the beans to cool down a little, for a couple of minutes, before you serve them, garnished with chopped parsley.