The answer is a three-letter word: fat. In this case, applying a
classic Spanish technique, a healthy amount of spring vegetables—
artichokes, leeks, scallions, and fava beans—are cooked slowly in
olive oil. It’s an easy do-ahead, and it’s easy to adjust based on
what you find at the farmer’s market: try it with shallots,
asparagus, sugar snap peas, or Jerusalem artichokes.
4 globe artichokes
2 lemons, halved
2 bunches of scallions, cleaned and sliced into ½-inch rounds
1 leek, cleaned well and sliced into ½-inch rings
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
6 rosemary leaves, chopped very fine
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
½ to 1 cup fava beans, podded and peeled, or an equal
amount of frozen lima beans straight from the freezer
A few fresh mint leaves
Smoked Basque sheep’s-milk cheese (Idiazábal), soft goat
cheese, or Parmesan
Prepare the artichokes by peeling away the tough outer leaves
first. Slice off the top of the artichoke* (about an inch from the
top) and slice off the bottom part of the stem. Continue to pull
back leaves until you get to the pale green part. Now slice the
artichoke in half vertically and use a paring knife to trim the