Fava Beans with Fresh Coriander

Name: Fava Beans with Fresh Coriander (Avas Freskas)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 4 pounds fava beans, shelled (about 2 cups), or 1 package (1 pound) frozen baby lima beans; 1 onion, chopped; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small bay leaf; ¾ to 1 cup water; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons ground cumin (optional); 1 cup plain yogurt, drained in a sieve for 4 hours; ⅓ cup chopped fresh coriander; 2 cloves garlic, green sprouts removed and minced

Avas Freskas

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Sephardic Flavors

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2000

About

This Sephardic dish is almost identical to a Portuguese ragout of favas cooked with garlic and coriander—minus the bacon, of course. The Spanish version of this same stew uses mint instead of coriander and substitutes sausage for the bacon. If you cannot find fresh favas, frozen baby limas can be substituted.

Ingredients

4 pounds fava beans, shelled (about 2 cups), or 1 package (1

Side dish
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Sephardic

Method

If using the fava beans, bring a saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the beans and blanch for about 1 minute, then drain and, when cool enough to handle, slip each bean free from its tough skin. If using frozen limas, reserve until needed.

Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and s