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Well, my friends. I think I can help you here. We are ethnically Greek and have lived in the Middle East, where my husband was chairman of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut. In these eastern Mediterranean cultures fava beans are eaten as a salad kind of meal, but not in the western sense of "salad" with greens and things. The Greeks call the style of cooking ladera (that's a delta "d," pronounced like the "th" in the word thee). Fresh fava are best, but dried are also fine. Since I haven't yet started my work day, I'd better be quick here! Either shell fresh beans or soak overnight the dried ones. Assume you are starting with a pound of fresh favas or half a pound of dried beans. Cover in a pot with a combination of water and olive oil (half and half?). Add the juice of one lemon, a chopped onion (you might saute this first; it enhances the flavor), a carrot, a large handful of chopped parsley, and a chopped tomato or two. Salt to taste; also add a small spoon of sugar -- it's good for the onions! Add a few cloves of chopped garlic (or leave them out, if you prefer). Cook this concoction very slowly for a couple of hours; less if you start with fresh beans (all you real cooks out there will wince at this, but it does work). Check the level of liquid in the pot periodically so it won't go dry. The completed dish should have discrete but tender fava beans, but the rest of the ingredients will probably have collapsed into a very tasty sauce for them. The dish shouldn't be runny. I think you'll enjoy it, unless you have a particular aversion to olive oil. Ladera can be substituted for a main dish, i.e. a meal without meat. Add a salad of fresh tomatoes, a little feta cheese, maybe a glass of wine, and enjoy! k. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mrs. Karin M. Beros, MSO [log in to unmask] International and Area Studies voice: (510) 642-8542 Office of the Dean, 260 Stephens Hall fax: (510) 642-9466 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Mon, 17 Jul 1995, Lisa Carper wrote: > File this under, 'How Bad Can They Be??' :) > > Based on readings here and elsewhere, after looking near and far we found an > purchased 2 1/2 lbs of fava beans hoping to unleash the dopamine contained > therein. We then found ourselves at a complete loss as to how to fix them > but JR likes beans (pinto, white, etc) so we figured how bad could they be? > Well, for those of you who would also like to try fava beans, trust us, we > need to find or develop recipes! > If any of you have any recipes for fava beans or if you have ideas on how to > fix them PLEASE email us asap. Thanks. > LCarper ([log in to unmask]) > P.S. My mother used to eat them as a little girl (in her Italian family) but > can't remember how they were fixed. > -- >