Globe artichokes with crushed fava beans recipe

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups shelled fava beans (fresh or frozen)
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ tsp Maldon sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 to 3 globe artichokes, depending on size
• 3 lemon juice, plus 2 extra lemon halves to serve
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp panko
• 3 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 tbsp chopped dill

1. Start with the fava beans. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Throw in the beans and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and leave in the colander to dry. Once cool and dry, remove the outer skins of the beans by pressing each gently between your thumb and forefinger. Discard the skins.
2. Put the shelled beans into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, 4 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt and some black pepper, and crush the beans roughly in a few pulses (you can also do this by hand using a fork). Make sure you don’t process them into a purée. Set aside.
3. To prepare the artichokes, cut off most of the stalk and pull off the tough outer leaves. Once you reach the softer, pale leaves, take a sharp serrated knife and trim off the top so you are left with the base only. Scrape it clean with a little sharp knife, removing any remaining tough leaves and the hairy choke. You can now cut the resulting hearts in half or leave them whole. Rub them all over with the juice of one of the lemons and place in a bowl of cold water. Add the juice of another lemon and all the squeezed lemon halves.
4. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Carefully drop in the artichoke hearts and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, or until a knife will pierce them easily. Drain well and dry on a dish towel. Place the artichoke hearts in a bowl with the beaten egg and mix well. Spread the panko on a plate and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Lift the artichokes from the bowl with a fork and into the panko. Coat them in the crumbs.
5. Pour enough olive oil into a small saucepan to come 1¼ inches up the sides and heat up until almost smoking. Add a couple of artichokes at a time to the hot oil and fry for about 4 minutes, or until golden, turning them to color evenly. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt.
6. Stir the chopped herbs and the juice of the third lemon into the crushed beans. Spoon some over each serving plate. Place one or two artichoke pieces on top and spoon more crushed beans on top or around. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve with a lemon half.