Fresh Fava Bean Ragout

For this dish, you must not only remove the fava beans from their pods but also must slip off their skins. I have two quick ways of doing this: Steam the favas in their pods, then run them under cold water as you double-peel them, removing both the pods and the thin skins. This necessitates cooking the beans immediately to avoid their turning slimy. Or shuck the beans and freeze them in their skins for up to 4 months; this makes final preparation much easier time-wise, and the skins will sl