INGREDIENTS

This light summery appetizer is not only rich in flavor it is also vegetarian and almost completely allergen free (aside from the dairy in the cheese). Visit your local farmers market to pick up the ingredients such as purple kale and the fresh fava beans. Kale is known to be one of the most nutritious vegetables boasting anti-inflammatory properties, beta-carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C and calcium. Hearty Fava beans are among the most ancient plants in cultivation and have a buttery texture and lovely, nutty flavor. Gather your friends or family on a warm summer afternoon to help shuck the beans while enjoying a bottle of wine together. Pair this recipe with eco.love Riesling - we promise it is a divine combination!

METHOD

Step 1:
Rinse and dry the purple kale. Pick the leaves from the stems into hand sized pieces. Remove the fava beans from the pod, but do not peel them yet. Trim the bottom off the Brussels sprouts and cut them into quarters. With a vegetable peeler, shave the pecorino Romano into large shavings.

Step 2:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small pot of salted water, bring the water to a boil then blanch the fava beans for about 30 seconds. Remove them from the water and immediately put them into an ice bath to rapidly cool them down. Once they are cooled, remove them rom the water and peel the outer shell from them. Reserve the beans. In a separate bowl toss the Brussels sprouts with about half o the olive oil and salt them. Roast them on a tray in the oven until they are nicely browned on the outside and still slightly crisp on the inside. In another bowl, toss the purple kale with the remaining olive oil and a dash of salt, and roast them in the oven until they are crisp and slightly browned. They should be nicely crisp.

Step 3:
Plate the Brussels sprouts in the middle o the plate. Arrange the fava beans on and around the Brussels sprouts. Top the Brussels sprouts with the crispy kale, followed by a few shavings of the pecorino Romano. Enjoy!