Fuul M’damas (fava bean salad) Recipe

Breakfast was always a simple affair in my house growing up. A traditional breakfast would consist of some pita bread warmed up on the stove top alongside some lemony olives, za’atar mixed with olive oil, Syrian braided cheese or labne, some sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and maybe boiled eggs. On the weekends, my dad would make fuul m’damas, a delicious fava bean salad with fresh vegetables, lemon juice, and olive oil that I would eat alongside pita bread. Today, I love making this dish on days when I do not want to eat too much meat but still want to get in some protein. I also love this dish because you can choose to eat it with pita bread or just on its own as a salad. It is an incredibly healthy and filling dish, and like other recipes here, the quality of the dish will depend heavily on how fresh/in-season the ingredients are. Luckily for this dish, using canned fava beans works just as well as soaking/boiling fresh beans.

Ingredients:

• fava beans (2 cans)

• tomatoes (2 medium)

• cubanelle peppers (1)

• Italian flat-leaf parsley (1/2 a bunch)

• Aleppo pepper (1/4 tsp)

• pomegranate concentrate (1/4 tsp)

• garlic (1-2 cloves)

• lemon (1)

• extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup)

• green onion (1)

Recipe:

• Drain and rinse the fava beans very well. Boil the beans in water for about 10 minutes, drain, and set aside.

• While the beans are cooking, finely dice the tomatoes, pepper, parsley, green onion, and garlic. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Add the Aleppo pepper, pomegranate concentrate, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper (to taste). Add the beans to the bowl and mix everything thoroughly. Enjoy with hot pita bread!