Fava is both the name of the lentil (or split pea to be precise), this dried vegetable with a bright yellow color, and the name of this delicious and hearty dish that you will find in every good tavern. It is usually served cold or warm as a mezze and sometimes hot as a main course.
Ingredients to prepare the fava
Proportions for a mezze of 4-6 persons
- 250gr fava (yellow split peas)
- 1 small onion for cooking
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for cooking
For the presentation:
- flat leaf parsley
- 1 onion cut into thin rings
- olive oil
- juice of half a lemon
- salt, pepper
Preparation
First put the fava in a pan with cold water without salt. Count one volume of split peas for two volumes of water (about 75cl).
Then cook over high heat, uncovered, stirring at the beginning of the cooking process until there is no more foam.cuming at the beginning of cooking until there is no more foam.
Add coarsely chopped onion and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Then cover and let cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, until the fava is completely melted. Add water if necessary and follow the cooking process to prevent the fava from sticking.
Add salt at the end of cooking. Blend in a blender or food mill. The consistency is that of a liquid purée (the fava sets as it cools, if it is too thick, add a little water to dilute).
Finally, for the presentation: let it cool down well, put it in a dish, make a small well in the middle and fill it with olive oil of very good quality. Pour over lemon juice, pepper, chopped parsley and sliced onion.
You can also serve the fava as a main course, hot just with lemon juice and olive oil.
A hole in the Fava
In Greek the expression “there is a hole in the fava” (Κάποιο λάκκο έχει η φάβα), is used when something sounds fishy! In fact, when serving it on the plate, the women of Santorini would dig a pit in the middle of the mashed potato. They then poured olive oil on it. But the Fava, absorbing it almost instantly, made the housewives suspicious. Who wondered, rightly, but where did their olive oil go!
Where to buy it ?
Wondering where to get the fava, the yellow split peas used in this recipe?
If you live in Greece, it’s very easy, you can find it in any grocery store or supermarket.
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Another delicious recipe from Evi Siougari-Parmantier
