Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1 1/2 c Dried fava or butter beans Sea salt; to taste
- soaked overnight in water 1/2 ts Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c Extra-virgin olive oil - or more to taste
1/2 c Finely chopped onion 1 sl Coarse-grain bread
1 Garlic clove; finely chopped - crust removed, and soaked
1/3 c Finely diced carrot - for 5 minutes in:
1/3 c Finely diced celery 2 tb Olive oil; (or to taste)
1 Bay leaf; crumbled 1 sm Lemon; juiced
2 1/2 tb Minced flat-leaf parsley

--------------------------------FOR SERVING--------------------------------
1 pn Paprika; (generous)

Drain the dried beans and place in large saucepan with cold water to cover.
Bring slowly to a boil, drain and rinse. Rinse out the saucepan, return
the beans to the pan, and add cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a
boil, reduce the heat, cover, and gently simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until
soft. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Remove the fava bean
skins with your fingers and spread the beans between layers of paper towels
to dry.

Or use canned fava beans,rinsed and skins removed. Retain 1/2 cup of
liquid from can.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Saute the
onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and bay leaf over medium-low heat for 15 to
20 minutes, or until dark golden brown, stirring occasionally with a wooden
spoon.

Transfer all, beans and vegetables
to a food processor or blender container and add the bread. With
the machine running, add about two thirds of the lemon juice and 2
tablespoons of the olive oil, and process until thick and smooth. Add a
few tablespoons of water if the puree seems too thick, and add salt,
pepper, olive oil, and/or lemon juice to taste.

Serve on a platter, sprinkled with the remaining parsley and olive oil and
the paprika.

To make the traditional way: Pound the cooked vegetable-bean mixture and
the bread in a large wooden mortar for 5 minutes. Slowly add about two
thirds of the lemon juice and then 3/4 cup of the olive oil. Pound for 5
minutes longer, and add salt, pepper, olive oil, and/or lemon juice to
taste.

Rosemary Barron, "Flavors of Greece"

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