Do Me A Fava

Photo © Rob Jones

Fava Beans - better known as Broad Beans - are forever linked in my mind to Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs where he carried out his evil deeds, to the accompaniment of ”Some fava beans and nice Chianti.”

Which is no reason not to enjoy them, and in fact one should - it’s a good source of manganese, copper, zinc, potassium, and are also good sources of iron and calcium. They are known to be good for boosting iron, lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, What’s not to love.

They turned up on my ‘list of things I need to eat in Greece while I am here.’ I admit the title of my list could be more concise, but … it is what it is.

Just to confuse matters though - Fava in Greece is not supposed to be made with Fava Beans. And you may also be wondering ‘what’s the difference between Hummus and Fava. Both good questions.

It’s in the ingredients.

Namely:

500g Yellow Split Peas.

3 Chopped Red Onions

3 Large cloves of Garlic, squidged

2 Lemons

100ml of Olive Oil

Thyme, Salt and Pepper.

Method:

Rinse the peas well in water. In a big pot, caramalise the onions in the olive oil, add the garlic and thyme.

Add the peas and give it a good mix through. Add a litre of warm water and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes. You are aiming for a mushy mix.

Add in the juice of two lemons and mix well to make it a smooth puree.

Serve drizzled with Olive Oil, some black olives, some onion slices and more lemon juice.

Yes - I sprinkled dry roasted peanuts on top. That doesn’t make me a bad person.

Does it?

R.