Fava/Broad Beans

Fava/broad beans are known as bagilla in the Iraqi dialect and fool in other Arab countries. The Iraqi variety is much bigger than fool. The fresh young pods are either cooked whole or cut into smaller pieces and used in appetizers and stews. When the outer jacket toughens towards the end of summer, only the beans are used. Some of the recipes require removing the bean skin. In this case, when buying them fresh, look for big pods that have a somewhat soft and leathery texture, which are signs of full growth. Out of season, frozen or dried fava beans are used. Dried skinned beans are also available at gourmet shops. Dry beans require about 24 hours of soaking. Half a cup (3oz/85g) of dry beans yields 1 cup cooked beans. To skin fresh fava beans, scald them in hot water first as this will cause the skinto separate from the bean. Freezing does the same thing. In this case, allow the beans to thaw, and then break the skin with a knife or fingernail. The bean will slide out quite easily from the skin.