Name: Grilled romaine with fava beans and pecorino Recipe
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled; 2 tablespoons cubed pecorino Romano ( 1/4 -inch cubes); 4 1/2 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, divided; 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon chopped parsley; 1/8 teaspoon salt; Cracked black pepper; 1 small clove garlic, minced; 1 small head (about 1/2 pound) romaine lettuce, quartered lengthwise

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By Betty Hallock

and Donna Deane

June 27, 2007

THERE’S no better way to spend a languid early-summer evening than by gathering with family or friends on the patio for a supper drawn from a table filled with colorful plates of delicious antipasti.

It’s a bit like eating at a trattoria in Italy: first your aperitivo and a small bowl of olives, maybe some salumi -- and then a parade of fantastic little dishes, often prepared simply with fresh vegetables and herbs. Dishes such as farro salad, or quick-grilled romaine with favas and pecorino, or Romano beans sauteed with fresh oregano. They’re basic and light but also pretty and tasty, cooked and dressed just right -- with a little vinegar, lemon juice, good olive oil or fresh herbs. They’re not meaty or heavy.

Nothing has to be baked or fried or stuffed or wrapped. Everything can be served room temperature.

These fresh-tasting salads aren’t just your garden-variety leafy greens, they’re an inviting start to a meal. Offer one as a first course, or serve a few at a time to be enjoyed by the spoonful in combination with other antipasti.

At Fraiche restaurant in Culver City, chef-owner Jason Travi serves an appetizer salad made with farro, the barley-like grain that’s firm and hearty and nutty.

He cooks the farro with a bouquet garni of bay leaf and a sprig of thyme, adds diced roasted red pepper and blanched English peas, then tosses the grain and vegetables with tarragon, basil, mint and parsley. The whole thing gets a light dressing of olive oil and lemon juice and is sprinkled with pecorino or ricotta salata, the Italian sheep’s milk cheese that’s perfect for summer dishes, mild, slightly nutty-sweet and a little crumbly.

Or saute flat, wide Romano beans with shallots, garlic and fresh oregano until the beans are tender but still have an edge of crispness. Cook them for a couple minutes more with some cherry tomatoes, then drizzle over a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.

Take advantage of fresh favas while you still can; they’re great with a splash of citrus and olive oil and some chunks of pecorino. Match the creamy beans with crisp charred romaine that gets brushed with a little garlic-infused olive oil before being grilled.

Along with sips of a grassy Verdicchio or an herby Arneis, these charming first courses turn that eternal wait for dinner into a magic hour of anticipation.

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1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled

2 tablespoons cubed pecorino Romano ( ¼ -inch cubes)

4 ½ tablespoons best-quality olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

⅛ teaspoon salt

Cracked black pepper

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 small head (about ½ pound) romaine lettuce, quartered lengthwise

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the fava beans and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Break the outer skin of the bean and squeeze the bean out of its skin.

In a small bowl, toss the beans with the cubes of pecorino Romano. Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt and cracked black pepper (about 4 grinds). Set aside and allow the beans to marinate while you grill the romaine.

In a cup or small bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and the minced garlic. Brush the quartered romaine with the garlic olive oil and place on an oiled grill over medium-high heat until the lettuce is lightly charred on all sides but still crisp in the center, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Place a grilled romaine quarter on each of four serving plates. Spoon an equal amount of the fava bean and pecorino mixture over the top of each and season with a few more grinds of black pepper.

From Times test kitchen director Donna Deane.

Betty Hallock

Betty Hallock is deputy Food editor at the Los Angeles Times. She has co-written four cookbooks, including “Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles,” “Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” and “Baking at République.” She started her journalism career at the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American in New York, worked on the L.A. Times’ Business desk, and was interim food editor at Los Angeles Magazine. Hallock also helped launch a food and nutrition vertical for wellness app RoundGlass. She’s a graduate of UCLA and New York University.