In Greece we call it “fava” and it’s a popular and favorite dip, spread or appetizer in Greek cuisine, from the wonderful Santorini. What I love about it, as a plant-based dietitian focused on immunity, besides that it’s delicious, is that it’s naturally vegan, so there’s no need to “veganize” anything, and at the same time it provides us with iron, folate, protein, B vitamins, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
So if you’ve ever been to Greece and want to bring back tasteful memories or if you haven’t been yet, but want to have a tasty idea of what it’s like, try making fava yourself at home, with this simple, basic recipe.
Ingredients
300 g. fava beans
1 large onion
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
some salt and pepper
Method
Start by rinsing and soaking your fava beans overnight.
The next day, put fava in a pot with water over high heat. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and add the peeled onion. Let everything simmer together on low heat for about 1 hour, until the water is absorbed.
Then, remove the onion, add salt, pepper, and olive oil and mix either with a spoon until melted or with a blender.
When it’s ready, serve it on a plate, add a little olive oil and depending on your preferences you can add capers, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes and whatever else you like.
Tip
To caramelize your onions, sauté them in some olive oil in a pan and add salt, pepper and a pinch of molasses. Add some balsamic vinegar in the end an let it evaporate for a few minutes.
Greek or international, in the blog section of www.feedyourimmunity.com you can find dozens of vegan recipes that are delicious, providing vitamins that support the immune system and giving color to your meal!
