This hummus is vibrant in colour, silky smooth and absolutely delicious. Sure, you have to remove the outer pod and then the waxy outer layer to get to the deliciousness, but it’s definitely worth it! You can taste the fresh greenness, making it a bright alternative to traditional chickpea hummus.
Fava beans, broad beans, field beans… whatever you call them they are finally in season! I remember the first time I opened a fava bean pod, just a few years ago, picked fresh off of the plant. I was elated with the treasure at hand, perfect beans nestled inside their pillowy casing, like precious jewels carefully wrapped for safe keeping. Some vegetables are pure magic… fava beans certainly fall into this category.
Fava Bean (broad bean) Hummus
yields: 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. Fava bean pods (3 cups shelled beans)
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. Chili flakes (I used piment d’espelettes that I picked up at the Seattle farmers market, but any chili flakes will work)
Remove fava beans from their pillowy casing.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoons of salt and the shelled fava beans. Boil until just cooked, about 3 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water.
Gently squeeze each bean to remove the waxy outer skin, revealing the bright green been inside (OPTIONAL – you can skip this step if you like, however the hummus may not have the smoothest possible texture).
I just found this video with a step by step on how to shell favas.
Place the bright green beans into a food processor with the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
Serve with crackers, baguette, fresh cut veggies or spread it on a sandwich.