Food & Drink

Fava Bean & Avocado Dip with Lemon & Thyme

A healthy vegan party dip, excerpted from Lee Watson’s Peace & Parsnips (The Experiment). 
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Superbly green and full of rich, smooth, fresh flavors, this dip makes the ideal accompani­ment or spread for sunshiny weather. The fava bean harvest is one of my favorite times of year. I love podding them—it’s very therapeutic, although many of the beans end up in my mouth. I have found that many people prefer fava beans cooked a little, so we are going to blanch them here. If the beans are not freshly picked or it’s getting late in the season, I’d recommend you peel the sometimes leathery coats off them. Otherwise, just blend them up to a vibrant bowl of vivid green and enjoy with some sliced veggies—the ubiquitous carrot works well, but you could also try beet batons or kohlrabi shards, green apple chunks or even endive boats.

Fava Bean & Avocado Dip

MAKES ONE LARGE BOWLFUL

THE BITS

  • 10 ounces (300g) fava beans, shelled and blanched
  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • a big handful of fresh mint, chopped
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • zest of ½ a lemon
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • a large pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or to taste)

DO IT

  1. Cook the shelled fava beans in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well and cool.
  2. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor, and trickle in the oil while blitzing. Use enough oil to give a shimmering appearance–2 tablespoons should do nicely, but add a bit more if necessary.
  3. Serve with long dippers of your choice.

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