Known in the UK as split fava beans, dried broad beans are a favourite legume in Crete. We use them as we do the yellow fava beans to make a loose puree which we serve with just some sweet finely chopped onion and lashings of extra virgin olive oil and good crusty bread.
It is always worth cooking more pulses than you need as you can always serve again as puree or use to make delicious fritters.
Ingredients (serves 4 as a light lunch)
For the cod
- 360-400g of desalinated cod, cut in large bitesize pieces (allowing 3 per person)
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 3 tbsp panko crumbs
- 3 tbsp almond flakes
- 1 egg
- Extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
To make the basic fava bean puree
- 250g split fava beans (shelled)
- 1 medium size onion, trimmed and cut in four
For the completed garlic puree for this particular dish, you will need
- 250g cooked split bean puree (see below in the method)
- 7 cloves of garlic, in their skin
- ½ lemon, juice and zest
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and extra for drizzling
Method
Preheat the oven to 2000C.
Roast the garlic cloves in their skins for 40 minutes.
Put the cloves on a piece of kitchen foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap the foil around the cloves and bake them until soft. Check after 30 minutes but depending on how big the cloves are, they may take up to 40-45 minutes.
Next cook the split fava beans. Start by washing them under running water and put in a saucepan. Cover with cold water to reach 2cm above the surface of the beans. Bring to the boil. Add the onion, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook slowly until the beans have been cooked and turned into a mash. During cooking time, do not stir but shake the pan from time to time so that the puree does not catch. Also, add water in small quantities when it gets absorbed and the puree is not yet ready. When the beans have been cooked, leave to cool slightly and blitz in a blender. At this point, decide if you are serving it all and keep in an airtight container a portion of the puree that you want to keep (a few days in the fridge) or you may decide to freeze it.
Season only the puree that you will be using there and then. Add some sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and some extra virgin oil. Bear in mind that the puree thickens when it goes cold but that is normal. Just add a little water when you come to reheat it to serve as puree again or leave as is to mix with other ingredients if you decide to make fritters.
While the broad beans are cooking, put the cod tail in a saucepan, add 300ml of water, the bay leaf and pepper corns and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook slowly for about 20 minutes. You should have a small cup of stock.
Put the finely chopped parsley in a saucer.
When the garlic has cooked, leave to cool for a few minutes and peel. Slice 3 cloves, sprinkle them with a couple of drops of lemon juice and roll them into the chopped parsley and keep to the side.
Put the four cloves into a mortar, add a few sea salt flakes and break up to a fine paste. Add the olive oil and whisk. Add to the broad bean puree and. mix. Finely add the lemon juice and zest and stir with a small spatula to fully incorporate. Add some pepper and stir to mix.
Finally, to fry the cod, wash and pat dry the cod pieces. Season with some freshly ground black pepper and salt.
Place the flour in one shallow plate, crush the almond flakes with your hands and mix them with the panko crumbs in another place and beat the egg in a bowl.
Bring a frying pan with oil halfway up its sides to a medium heat to high heat. Dust the cod pieces in the flour, dip in the egg and coat with the panko/almond mix. Fry turning over half-way through the cooking until golden and crispy.
To serve, spread some puree onto the plates and top with 3 pieces of cod. Sprinkle with a little finely chopped shallot, the parsley dressed garlic slices and drizzle with some olive oil.
Serve with a salad of cooked beetroot.