ΒΑΘΜΟΣ ΔΥΣΚΟΛΙΑΣ
εύκολο
ΧΡΟΝΟΣ
30'
ΑΤΟΜΑ
4
ΥΛΙΚΑ
- 250 g Lemnos afkos
- 1 medium onion
- 1.5–1.7 l hot water (the ratio of water to fava is about 6 to 1, for an uncovered pot simmering)
- 40 ml olive oil
- salt & pepper
- bay leaf
Περιγραφή
The φάβα word refers to the way of cooking broken legume seeds. The best-known “lathouri” of Lemnos is “afkos” (Lathyrus ochrus (L.) D.C.), which is sown during the months of November–December. At the same time, however, in Lemnos fava is also made from the “lathouri” variety (Lathyrus sativus L.), which is less well known. Sources mention the cultivation of lathouri in Lemnos during the 16th century, but also more recently, in the 1940s, when it began to be systematically cultivated in various villages of Lemnos up to the present day. Traditionally, afkos was ground on millstones.
Εκτέλεση
Chop the onion. In a deep non-stick pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion to sauté gently for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fava. Sauté it together with the onion and the bay leaf for 2 minutes and then add most of the hot water (1.2–1.4 l), keeping the rest to top up later if needed. Simmer the fava over low heat, stirring occasionally with the pot uncovered. If foam forms, skim it off with a spoon. As time passes, and certainly after the first twenty minutes, check and stir more frequently so the fava does not stick to the bottom as the amount of water decreases. Along the way, add salt and pepper. When the bubbles that rise to the surface start to get smaller and to “spit” – which means that most of the water has evaporated – check that the fava has dissolved. Usually this happens at about 35–40 minutes. If the fava has not dissolved and the water has reduced, add hot water in small amounts (100 ml at a time), once or more, so it does not become too thin, until the fava seeds have completely broken down. When the fava has dissolved and is thick, remove it from the heat and, optionally, use a hand blender to process it well until perfectly smooth and velouté. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve on a plate and drizzle generously with early-harvest olive oil, finely chopped raw onion, parsley and freshly ground pepper.