Fava Bean Salad with Jamon and Fresh Mint

In Italy, springtime fava bean salads are usually tossed with shaved Pecorino cheese. In Catalonia, the complementary ingredients are smoky-sweet slivered cured jamón and a bright accent of mint. Though the salad may sound traditional, it was actually “invented” by the legendary Catalan chef Josep Mercader and is now copied all over the region. If shelling and peeling fresh favas seems like too much of a chore, use shelled soybeans, which need no peeling.