This dip is quick to make and unique and delicious. The only trick is finding the right beans – split skinned fava. They look like this:
I have always found them at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean markets. They will also show up in the Middle Eastern section of the larger Indian market I go to. I’ve never seen them at the regular grocery store. Kalustyan’s has them, and they are available at Amazon too. They come in various sizes, and any size should be okay for this dip. You won’t know the difference once they’re ground up anyway. Just be sure you’re not using the ones with the skin. They will be brown, and the cook time, texture, and taste would be very different.
I first tried a recipe from Judith Barrett’s Fagioli, for “Crostini di fave bianche.” Here is a recipe in Italian. Many of the recipes online pair this dish with chicory (here and here and here). There is a similar dish from Puglia in Fagioli as well, “Fave con cicoria.”
