Used the rest of that prosciutto hock to render some fat that I used to prepare a vinaigrette for the fava beans. The vinaigrette was made with a couple tablespoons of the rendered fat, white balsamic vinegar (relatively cheap stuff from Alessi), olive oil and a touch of sea salt. The cracklings came of rendering chopped pieces of the end of the hock, which rendered over low heat in a saute pan for about an hour, stirring occasionally. The fava beans were boiled for about 10-12 minutes after shelling. I plated the beans, coated with the vinaigrette and then topped with some prosciutto and skin cracklings.
It's pretty rare to get fresh fava beans here in Denver, looks like the ridiculously short season has begun and I'll be lucky to find them again. It's really tough to get good at cooking something you see only once a year, but this combination worked well. The flavor combination was inspired by perusing
Culinary Artistry.
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