Morocco

Byssara
BERBER FAVA BEAN PUREE
Popular North African dish, similar to hummus, revered by the Berber community of North Morocco as "better than meat!"
This adapted recipe will make 3 cups.
Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) split dried fava beans*
3 large garlic cloves
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ lemon (optional)
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 pinches of cayenne
Olive oil for garnish
Coarse sea salt

Preparation Steps
Step 1. The night before: Soak fava beans in 3-4 times their volume in cold water. Discard any favas that float.
Step 2 The next day: bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Wash and drain the fava beans. Add the beans when the water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for one hour. Skim off any surface debris.
Step 3. Add garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the beans and continue cooking them down to a thick consistency, about 2 more hours (this timing
may depend on the age and quality of the beans). Remove from heat and let it cool.
Step 4. In the meantime, grind the cumin seeds with 1 teaspoon salt to a powder in a mortar. Stir half into the beans and reserve the remaining cumin for garnish.
Step 5. Press the beans through a strainer or fine sieve. Beat in the remaining olive oil and, if needed, a little hot water to create a truly smooth, thick dip. Add more salt and a few drops of lemon juice to taste.
Step 6. Serve the Byssara on a shallow platter. Sprinkle with reserved ground cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Serve with your favorite African or Middle Eastern bread.

Preserved Lemons
SERVE ALONGSIDE BYSSARA
Adapted from UCCE Master Food Preserver Program
For 1-Quart Jar
Ingredients
10 lemons, divided
1/2 cup pickling or canning salt, divided
4 bay leaves
4 cinnamon sticks (each approx. 4 inches)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (optional)
1 teaspoon whole green cardamom pods (optional)

Preparation Steps
Step 1. Jar preparation: Sterilize 1 quart canning jar by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Keep hot until ready to fill. Use canning lid and ring as well.
Step 2. Wash 5 of the lemons in warm water, removing any dirt and wax, and dry well using paper towels. Cut a 1/8 inch slice off the stem end. Cut down from the stem end but not all the way through the lemon, dividing it into quarters. Repeat with all 5 lemons. Squeeze juice from remaining 5 lemons, which should measure 1 1/2 cups.
Step 3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon pickling salt over the bottom of the jar. Working over a bowl, pack 1 heaping tablespoon salk into each lemon before packing into jar, stem end up. After 3 lemons are packed, add cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, bay leaves, and cardamom to sides of jar, then repeat salting with remaining lemons and pack.
Step 4. Fill jar with lemon juice to within 1/2 inch of top of jar. Center lid and screw band down, to fingertip tight.
Step 5. Keep jar at room temperature in cool dark place, shaking it briefly each day to distribute the salt. Lemons may be used after 2 weeks. Discard pulp, rinse skin to remove salt, and dry with paper towel. Once jar is opened, refrigerate in a container with airtight lid. May be kept for 6 months.

Important Note
*Fava beans can result in an illness, called FAVISM in certain persons. Persons who have a deficiency of the enzyme Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) , can develop a form of anemia in which some of their red blood cells hemolyze, or burst open. This anemia can lead to jaundice, kidney failure, and death in certain cases. Usually if the causative agent is removed, the person gets better. (Note that other illnesses and certain medications can trigger this reaction in G6PD deficient persons). There are 400-500 million people worldwide who carry the trait, but the severity of the disease varies widely, with persons of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean heritage carrying one of the most severe forms of it. The disease most commonly affects male children between the ages of 1 and 5. It is not understood why children are most severely affected. Because it is carried on the X chrqmosome, males are more likely to have severe disease than females. A side benefit of carrying this trait is resistance to malaria. People with this defect who ingest fava beans may exhibit the condition known as "favism." It is important that people, especially children of Middle Eastern and southern European heritage as well as African Americans and Asians, use caution the first time this food is eaten. Persons who have shown sensitivity to the beans should not eat them in the future.

Video (coming soon)

Recipe

Growing Guide for Ingredients

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