Bissara

This one is Egyptian, not Moroccan, but came from the same general search.  I wanted something to do with split peas other than American split pea soup.

Bissara is commonly made with fava beans, which I have never had because they're kind of hard to find.  At some point, I will get some and experiment.  Next time I'm at a Middle Eastern market.  I have at least three recipes for them to try, so it isn't like I've never thought about it.  Today, however, I was specifically looking for a split-pea recipe, and the first three versions I read used split peas.

I wanted to make this more like a stew and left it chunky, but you can also purée it into a soup.  The profile is peas and garlic, with paprika and cumin as the main seasonings and parsley to freshen it up.  I was surprised there isn't onion in the recipe, but here we are.

I wasn't going to have an hour to make dinner that afternoon and did this all day in the small Crockpot on low.  You could run it for a few hours on high, or just simmer on the stove until tender, like I'm writing the recipe here.

3 Tb olive oil
*4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 C water or vegetable broth
*1-1/2 C dry split peas or soaked fava beans
2 sprigs parsley, chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste

1.  Heat the oil over medium in a saucepan and fry the garlic until lightly browned.

2.  If using a slow cooker, transfer the garlic and oil to it and use the oil to coat the inside of the crock.  For any method, add all ingredients and stir together.

3.  For stovetop, bring to a low boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until peas are done, about an hour.  For slow cooker, cook on low 8 hours or high 3 hours.

4.  Bissara can be served chunky, or you can run it into a soup and thin to desired consistency.  Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil, with spices dusted on top and a dollop of plain yogurt if you want something creamy.  Can also be made thick enough to be a dip.

Difficulty rating  π