Favata With Broad Beans, Zucchini and Tomatoes: Dried Beans Are More Than a Toy

Favata is a wonderful dip, though it can also be eaten by the spoonful. This version of the broad-bean purée is topped with garlic, zucchini and tomatoes.

The writer says broad beans appear in cuisines around much of the world, where recipes for mashed or puréed beans are common. After buying several kilograms of inexpensive unshelled beans, the writer decided to preserve them for the summer.

The pods were large, while the beans inside had tough skins and were already partly dried. The writer spent time opening the pods and arranged rows of ivory-colored beans on three wooden boards to dry.