Bissara Dip- Moroccan Fava Bean Dip

Must Try Recipes

Move over hummus, there’s a new bean dip in town.  I’ll admit that I was getting a little bit jealous of seeing everybody’s posts with fresh fava beans over the past couple months (I haven’t been able to find them here in Honolulu), and so I did the next best thing- bought some dried favas to make this dip.

Just like blanching almonds, taking the skin (or jacket, as some people call them) off of the favas requires some time and a whole lot of patience.  That’s pretty much the only reason I don’t use dried favas on a more regular basis.  But each time I make something with them the result reminds me that the effort is well worth it.

Bissara- Moroccan Fava Bean Dip

Ingredients:

* 1-3/4 cup dried fava beans
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for garnish
* salt, to taste
* sesame seeds or dried thyme for garnish, optional

Directions:

Rinse the fava beans and then place in a large bowl and cover with at least several inches of water. Soak the fava beans overnight. In the morning drain the beans and remove their skins and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water, place on medium-high heat and bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are tender. Drain.

While the drained fava beans are still warm, puree them with the garlic, cumin and olive oil until smooth using an immersion blender or a food processor. Add salt to taste and top with sesame seeds or thyme, if desired, as well as a little drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serve with crackers or vegetable sticks, as desired.

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