Lima Bean & Dill Purée

This Turkish dish is supposed to be made with fava beans.  I tried, I really did.  No dried, no fresh, no frozen.  I was not about to go shopping in Little Persia during Ramadan.  And then the whole Iran thing happened and streets are closed for demonstrations anyway.  So, dried lima beans was my solution.

As a result, I'm making a couple of changes.  The main one is that fava beans apparently cook way faster than limas.  The other change is that my limas did not seem capable of thickening.  I could have made it like a lima version of vichyssoise, and may do that at a later date, but that wasn't what I was going for.  Cornstarch to the rescue.  The rest of the recipe is very similar to the one on Aegean Delight.

The result was what I was expecting.  This is a high protein, high fiber appetizer.  It's light, mildly flavored, and not difficult to make.  Just time consuming.

1 C dry lima beans
*1 small onion, chopped
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1 Tb lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb cornstarch
olive oil for the pan
*Fresh dill or dill weed to taste

1.  The night before, soak the beans in 4 cups of water.

2.  Sometime in the morning, drain the beans.  For a very smooth purée, remove the skins.  They should slip right off.  It doesn't have to be tedious; zone out and enjoy the five minutes.  I did it before draining, so I could see the skins when they floated to the surface.

3.  Return the peeled beans to the pot.  Add 1-1/2 C water, the chopped onion, garlic, lemon juice and zest, pepper, and salt.

4.  Bring mixture to a low boil over medium heat.  Boil for 5 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the beans turn to mush.  This could take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes.

5.  Stir 1 Tb water together with the cornstarch to make a slurry.  Set aside.  Oil whatever pan you're using to chill the paste.  I did four ramekins.  You could make this in an 8x8 if you're planning to serve slices.  Mine was in use at the time.

 

6.  Pour purée back into saucepan.  If desired, stir in 1/2 tsp of dill now.  Add cornstarch slurry and stir to combine, then turn on the heat again.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened, about two minutes.

7.  Pour into prepared pan or ramekins.  Chill at least 4 hours.

8.  When ready to serve, either slice and plate or turn out onto a serving platter.  Can also be served in individual cups.  Garnish with fresh dill and more olive oil.

Difficulty rating  π