Ingredients (Serves 3-4 as appetizer)

• 1 pound / 450 g fresh fava beans in their pods
• 8 ounces / 225 g (2-3) small artichokes, possibly organic
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces / 55 g sausage meat (like mild Italian)
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved (hopefully from the new crop)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Instructions

Shell the fava beans and blanch them for one minute, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice cold water. Drain them again, then remove the skin from the beans to bring their bright green core to light. Set aside.

Prepare a bowl with about 4 cups / 1 liter of water and the lemon juice.

For each artichoke: Detach and discard 3 rows of leaves, until you see the light green heart at the base. Cut off the stem and peel it to reveal the light green center and cut that into pieces. Toss them into the lemony water.

With a paring knife, peel away a thin ribbon around the base where the 3 rows of leaves attached. Cut off the top 1/2 inch / 1.25 cm of the artichoke and discard that top portion. Place the artichoke cut top down and slice off 1/2 inch / 1.25 cm all around at an angle (i.e., slice off the top portion of the external 2-3 layers of leaves).

Quarter the artichoke, carve out the hairy center (choke), if any (small artichokes may not yet have it), then cut each quarter into thin slices (no thicker than 1/4-inch / 6-mm) and immediately toss them into the lemony water.

Warm up 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, add the sausage meat broken into small pieces and cook on gentle heat for a couple of minutes. Move the sausage to a small bowl, leaving behind the rendered fat.

Add the rest of the olive oil to the skillet, warm it up, add the garlic and stir. After a minute, drain the artichokes, add them to the skillet and stir well. Arrange the artichokes into a single layer, cover and cook on gentle heat for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. If needed, add a bit of water, to prevent artichokes from sticking to the pan.

Add the fava beans, stir well, cover again and cook on gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Transfer the sausage meat into the skillet, stir well, cover again and cook on gentle heat until the artichokes are tender, stirring every now and then, 5 minutes or so.

Sprinkle the sea salt, black pepper and fresh parsley on top, stir well and remove the skillet from the heat.

Serve immediately.

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