Chef Dimitra
Aegean Taramosalata (Ταραμοσαλάτα)
Pale Aegean taramosalata is cured roe, soaked bread, lemon, and olive oil worked slowly until it turns thick and clean, made for lagana on Clean Monday.
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Fava Santorinis (Φάβα Σαντορίνης)
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Santorini fava is a silken yellow split pea puree from volcanic soil, served warm with raw onion, capers, lemon, and green-gold olive oil.
Appetizers & Snacks
Greek
Dinner Party
Budget Friendly
Make Ahead
10 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield6 servings as a meze
Fava Santorinis is Santorini's yellow split pea puree, not broad beans and not a generic dip. The region is the dish's surname. On the island it comes to the table warm, smooth, pale gold, with raw onion, capers, and olive oil cutting through its sweetness.
The method is quiet. Simmer the fava gently and skim the foam early, because bitterness rises there first. Push the heat and it catches on the bottom before the peas have properly collapsed. Treat it kindly and it becomes silk with no cream, no butter, no cleverness.
This is nistisimo, fasting food, but it never feels like absence. It feeds a table with bread, olives, tomato in season, and a glass of cold white wine if the day allows. I write it down plainly because this is how a dish survives: λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones.
Fava Santorinis is made from Lathyrus clymenum, a small yellow legume grown on Santorini's volcanic soil for about 3,500 years; archaeobotanical remains have been identified at the Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri. It received EU PDO status in 2010, separating the island crop from cheaper split peas sold elsewhere under the same name. The classic serving is plain fava with onion, capers, lemon, and oil, while fava pantremeni, or married fava, is the Santorini version dressed more richly with cooked onions and sometimes tomato.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Santorini fava (yellow split peas from Santorini)
Quantity
300g
rinsed
cold water
Quantity
1.2L
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
peeled and halved
bay leaf
Quantity
1
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
60ml
plus more for serving
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
2 tablespoons
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
plus more to taste
red onion
Quantity
1 small
very finely chopped, for serving
capers
Quantity
2 tablespoons
rinsed and drained, for serving
freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Quantity
to taste
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Santorini fava (yellow split peas from Santorini)rinsed | 300g |
| cold water | 1.2L |
| yellow onionpeeled and halved | 1 medium |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oilplus more for serving | 60ml |
| fresh lemon juice | 2 tablespoons |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 1 teaspoon |
| red onionvery finely chopped, for serving | 1 small |
| capersrinsed and drained, for serving | 2 tablespoons |
| freshly ground black pepper (optional)for serving | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, 3L
- •immersion blender or wooden spoon
- •shallow contemporary serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the fava
Rinse the Santorini fava in several changes of cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Pick out any small stones or dark pieces. This is a simple island dish, so the legume has nowhere to hide.
- 2
Start the pot
Put the rinsed fava in a heavy pot with 1.2L cold water, the halved yellow onion, and the bay leaf. Bring it slowly to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat at once.
- 3
Skim and simmer
Skim off the gray foam as it rises, then simmer uncovered for 45 to 55 minutes, until the peas have collapsed and the pot looks thick and soft. Keep the flame low. The whole dish rests here: gentle simmering makes the fava sweet and silken, while hard boiling catches it on the bottom and gives bitterness to the spoon.
Stir now and then with a wooden spoon, more often near the end, when it thickens. - 4
Season and beat
Remove the bay leaf. Keep the cooked onion in the pot. Add the salt, 60ml olive oil, and lemon juice, then beat the fava with an immersion blender or a wooden spoon until smooth. It should pour softly from the spoon while hot, because it firms as it cools.
- 5
Rest and serve
Let the fava rest for 15 minutes. Spoon it into a shallow bowl, make a small hollow in the center, and finish with chopped red onion, capers, black pepper, and a generous pool of olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
Chef Tips
- •If you can find real Santorini fava, use it. If not, use good yellow split peas and be honest about the substitution. The pot will still be good, but it won't have the same island sweetness.
- •Salt near the end, not at the start. The peas soften more evenly first, then the salt sharpens the finished puree instead of tightening the skins early.
- •Fava thickens as it sits. If it becomes too stiff, beat in a splash of hot water and a little olive oil until it loosens again.
Advance Preparation
- •Fava can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled. Rewarm gently with a little water, then finish with fresh onion, capers, lemon, and oil just before serving.
- •Chop the red onion up to 2 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 205g)
Calories
305 calories
Total Fat
14 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
450 mg
Total Carbohydrates
33 g
Dietary Fiber
13 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
13 g
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