Fava beans are winding down, now, with the summer progressing. Like asparagus, they're a spring thing, along with fiddlehead ferns and the first ribs on the grill. But even so, our produce place still had some last week, and it seemed like a good way to mark the transition from June to July. But what to do with the last gasp of bright green starch?

On Saturday night, we had a chicken recipe to try, and a bag of shell peas to eat up, too, so I wasn't paying a great deal of attention to the favas. I stripped them out of their pods, blanched 'em, and peeled 'em early in the evening, then left them sitting while I dealt with other aspects of the dinner. I even dug out a jar of leftover romesco, thinking that perhaps that might help. But when I got around to the beans, I couldn't keep myself from fooling around with them. Here's the recipe that emerged, and we enjoyed it tremendously. See what you think.

Braised Fava Beans with Pine Nuts

Remove the favas from their pods and blanch for 10 minutes in boiling water. Allow to cool and peel. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and the lime juice. Set aside until ready to cook.

Heat olive oil in a small saute pan. Add the favas and reduce heat. Add vinegar and braise until just tender - 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a small amount of oil in another saute pan, and toast the pine nuts. Watch carefully - do not allow to brown, let alone burn.

Add the nuts to the favas, toss, and serve.