Moroccan Bessara Recipe - Dried Fava Bean Dip or Soup

Ingredients

• Fava beans

  in pod, raw

  12 oz or 340g

• Olive oil

  ⅓ cup or 72g

• Garlic

  raw

  6 cloves, minced or 18g

• Water

  6 ½ cup or 1.54kg

• Paprika

  2 tsp or 4g

• Cumin seed

  2 tsp, ground or 6g

• Salt

  table

  1 ½ tsp or 9g

• Lemon juice

  2 tbsp or 30g

• Salt

  table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Cumin seed

  100g

• Cayenne pepper

  100g

• Green Olives with Harissa

  Graze

  100g

• Olive oil

  100g

Directions

1. Ahead of Time
2. Place the dried split fava beans in a bowl and cover with several inches of cold water. Leave to soak at least 8 hours or overnight.
3. Make the Bessara
4. Drain the soaked beans and remove skins, if any.
5. Place the beans in a pot and add the water, olive oil, garlic, and spices.
6. Bring the beans to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about an hour.
7. Drain the beans in a strainer set over a bowl. Reserve the cooking liquids.
8. Puree the beans until smooth with an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, using as much reserved broth as needed to reach your desired consistency.
9. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt, keeping in mind that condiments will add flavor at the table.
10. At serving time, reheat the puree gently over medium-low heat. Serve the bessara as a dip or soup with olive oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne or harissa on the side as condiments.
11. Recipe by: Christine Benlafquih | Taste of Maroc (source: https://tasteofmaroc.com/bessara-fava-bean-dip-or-soup/)