Fava- Pretty Is as Pretty Does.

Fava- a puree of yellow split peas cooked until they are falling apart and served cool with some herbs and lemon- is a dish that is really much tastier than you think it might be. Or so I thought. My dear Aunt Meri visited in September and we went to the Saturday market on Kalidromiou in Exarchia and I pointed them out- dried split peas with a saffron yellow color rather than our usual green. I said how they are typically prepared and the said "Oh that sounds delicious!" And I thought "not really, but better than you think" We made them that night and my aunts and uncles just scarfed them up like they were octopus or oysters or chocolate or something really, really good.

The garnish does a lot for it. It is a gentle, neutral flavor that takes very well to generous handfuls of chopped herbs, some green onions, a handful of big capers. The fava puree itself also takes well to seasoning- minced sauteed onions, salt and pepper, a bay leaf- these are all absorbed smoothly and give the dish some dimension, even as it remains soothing like a mound of mashed potatoes with butter on them. 

For little trouble and almost no expense, fava fills out the table with healthy satisfaction, and no inconsiderable beauty- shimmering golden yellow and verdant with the handfuls of herbs. They do need a little time to cook, but are quicker than most of the other legumes.

We will need:

a large onion, diced

a little olive oil for the pan

250 g/ 1 C yellow split peas

625 ml/ 2 1/2 C water

5 ml/ 1 tsp/ salt

some grindings of black pepper

a bay leaf

later:

lots of chopped parsley, some dill if we like, some green onions, and olive oil and lemon juice. Fancier things, like fat capers or pickled onions, are very nice against the mellow background flavor.

Chop the onion as you like and saute in olive oil:

These are on the small side so that they almost fall apart-
 adding just their rich flavor
 but nothing to the texture of the finished puree.

Let them saute for ten or fifteen minutes, until they become translucent and take on some color. The refinement and full flavor of the sauteed onion and the bay leaf saves the puree from tasting a little '70's health-food like.

There is often enough a small stone or two in the split peas- sift through them carefully, then rinse well:

Add them to the onions along with the bay leaf, the salt, and some pepper, and put it on to a slow simmer:

Let it simmer perhaps 45 minutes to an hour- until much of the water is absorbed and the split peas are nearly falling apart- 

They lose none of their vibrance in cooking.

Take out the bay leaf and mash the split peas with a potato masher, or- if you want a silkier texture- with a blender. To keep the dish delicate, the consistency should be like the very thickest of soups rather than like a puree- it thickens up still more in cooling. Taste for seasoning and pour into your serving dish to let it set up, just when ready to serve, cover it generously with the herbs, capers if you like, and the oil and lemon, with extra lemon to squeeze on at the table.

This rounds out a table of spreads and snacks nicely, making another more substantial offering for vegetarian friends, or a glowingly pretty side dish that goes with most anything at all.