Since we’re still in the good ole Midwest, I’ve got one of my favorite food bloggers to cover for me. Welcome Melissa, author of Hungry Food Love! I “met” Melissa online after she contacted me through my Facebook page (actually went back to the messages and it hasn’t even been a year; July 17th, 2012 is when we “met”!) for some advice on food blogging. After chatting a few times, suddenly she went for it and launched Hungry Food Love a few months later; a site that not only will make you drool, but will get you into the kitchen quickly with her approachable recipes, her love for food, and the gorgeous photography. Some of my favorite recipes from her site? Teriyak-Glazed Sweet Plantains, Phyllo-Wrapped Yuca Gorgonzola Mash, and for dessert, her Dulce de Leche Molten Cake. Now, let’s give a big welcome to Melissa and she what she’s brought to the table!
Cooking with Books was one of the first food related blogs I started reading. I was intrigue by Nelly and how we both came to study to the US from the Dominican Republic, then met our better halves here and are now both spreading our love for food through our blogs. I immediately contacted her and through various emails back and forth she was able to give me incredible tips that I value immensely. Thanks for being there from day one Nelly!
Today, I want to share with you a recipe that is chock full of surprises. This is not your traditional basil pesto. This pesto is made with, surprise! Arugula and Fava Beans. Not sure about you, but that was a first for me. A few weeks ago, I went on a date with Mr. B. (my hubby) and I order this pesto crostini as an appetizer. BAM! It was surprisingly so good and I have to say, it is even better than the regular basil pesto I have been used to. So I decided to recreate it.
What is best about this pesto is that is just as easy to prepare but it costs a fraction of the price. Arugula is much more affordable than basil during the winter months. And pine nuts, which are often used in traditional basil pesto, cost considerably more than fava beans.
If you have never worked with fava beans, don’t sweat it. Fava beans are very easy to work with: take the beans out of their pods, boil them for a few minutes and blanch them (the cold water will help maintain the bright green color and stop the cooking so they don’t get too soggy as they will provide texture to the pesto).
After blending all of the ingredients together and achieving your desired consistency of texture and flavor, you will be ready to use this pesto in a fabulous crostini, with your favorite pasta or simply as a dip.
I hope you learned something new with this post and that you get to try this amazing recipe. I promise it will be a hit. For more tips, recipes and ideas to entertain visit Hungry Food Love (where I share my love for Latin food as well)

Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh fava beans
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 handfuls arugula
- ¼ cup pecorino cheese grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- A pinch of chilli flakes
Instructions
- In salted boiling water, cook fava beans for about 4 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain and transfer them to a bowl with ice cold water. Peel off the skins by pinching the beans and discard the outside layer.
- Blend fava beans with arugula in a food processor until very coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and pulse the food processor until you obtain a smooth purée or preferred consistency.
- Taste and adjust flavors to your liking.
This looks great! I’ve never combined arugula and fava beans before. This is a great all-veggie meal idea. Love it. Thanks for sharing, Melissa. I miss you Nelly ~ see you soon 🙂
Wonderful recipe Melissa ! Love the story, ustedes encontraron su mitad de alla y yo la mia que es de aquí 🙂 I hope I do find the fava beans here, I got the perfect bread to go with it.
Hugs