Fava beans with serrano ham and cream recipe

Ingredients

• 5 pounds fava beans in the shell
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large shallots, minced (about ¼ cup)
• One ¼-inch-thick slice serrano ham or prosciutto (about 2 ounces), cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1/3 cup)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more, for garnish Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Shell, blanch, and peel the favas. You will have about 3 cups.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until foaming. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the ham and stir until you smell it, then add the beans and stir gently to coat with butter.
3. Pour in the cream, add the thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook until the favas are tender and the cream is almost absorbed, about 5 minutes.
4. Add a pinch of salt if necessary (the ham is salty) and season with pepper to taste. Garnish with thyme sprigs.