There is a Spanish stall at the market. Each Saturday in midsummer I wait patiently at the counter while the jamon is carved. I am unsure which is more beautiful: the long, elegant leg on its steel stand or the fluid, methodical way in which the carver slices the gossamer-thin morsels of meat from the bone. I never take much, its price is breathtaking, but once home I savor every mouthful, as much out of respect for my wallet as for the pig. If I find young fava beans, or the ones in the garden are ready to pick, I marry the two—a simple plate of densely flavored, fat-besplodged ham the color of dried blood and fresh, bright-green beans. There is usually soup on the table too, watercress or spinach or fresh pea, and some scraps of dry, mild-tasting Manchego.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4 as a starter or as part of a light lunch

　　fava beans in their pods – 2 pounds (1kg)

　　air-dried ham – 3 1/2 ounces (100g), very thinly sliced

　　

For the Dressing

sherry vinegar – a tablespoon

　　smooth Dijon mustard – half a teaspoon

　　olive oil (a fairly light one is best here) – 3 tablespoons

　　a handful of parsley leaves

　　

Step 1

Bring a pan of water to a boil. Shell the beans. Very lightly salt the water and add the beans. Return the water to a boil, then decrease the heat so that they boil merrily for three or four minutes or until they are tender. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and age of your beans but generally they take less time than you might expect. Drain them and cool under running water.

　　

Step 2

Pop the beans from their skins, unless they are very young and the size of a fingernail. This is a very pleasant way to spend ten minutes on a lazy afternoon. Place the pieces of ham, which should be in snippets about twice the size of a large postage stamp, on a serving plate.

　　

Step 3

Make the dressing by adding a small pinch of salt to the sherry vinegar and letting it dissolve. Add half a teaspoon of mustard—no more—then whisk in the olive oil with a fork. Chop the parsley leaves quite finely and add them to the dressing. Lastly, a few grinds of pepper. Toss the beans gently in the dressing and set aside for twenty minutes or so (they are fine for several hours if it makes life easier).

　　

Step 4

Scatter the beans over the ham and eat.

　　Tender