
A public holiday with much celebration, a regatta, Victory Day and and the feast of ‘Marija Bambina‘
It is hot and humid, very humid and at around 7 pm local time we start to feel a gentle and welcome breeze. I love the heat but the high level of humidity makes the day uncomfortable unless you are enjoying a day at the beach.
My favetta [yellow split beans] dip today is very simple, much lighter than hummus as it contains no tahini but I blend it with plain yoghurt and a generous amount of fresh mint and serve it with yellow and red cherry tomatoes instead of bread. I use skewers, allow one per person, so that tomatoes can be dipped with ease. And with a glass of ice cold white wine this was just perfect.
You will need:
1 tablespoon olive oil , plus some for drizzling
1 small garlic clove, just for flavor, I did not want an overpowering garlic taste
150g favetta beans
60ml plain yoghurt
A handful of fresh mint leaves
a pinch of dried mint
Salt and freshly ground pepper and crushed red peppercorns to season
Soak the favetta in cold water for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge. Drain the water and rinse.
Cook in plenty water in a pot and if you wish to speed up the cooking process add some bicarbonate of soda, not too much as it will leave an aftertaste, just a generous pinch.
The favetta beans will soften up very quickly and when they reach a mushy stage take them off the heat. I found that I had to add water during the cooking process and it is important not to allow the pan to dry up. The beans absorb a lot of the water and you will not need to strain them again. Allow to cool.
Use a fork to mash them up. I like a bit of texture in the dip and prefer not to use an electic blender for the beans but I do use it to blend the garlic cloves together with the fresh and dry mint, olive oil and yoghurt. Mix with the favetta puree using a metal spoon. Refridgerate for an hour and drizzle with olive oil, garnish with more mint and red pepper corns.
I served with yellow and red cherry tomatoes cut in half and skewers

12 responses to “Minty Favetta dip and Regatta Day”
Very elegant and so summery. It makes me jealous.
thank you Conor, its a beautiful country π
Looks great! How long do you typically cook the beans for?
thank you, it depends how long you soak them and whether you add bicarbonate of soda or not. Mine were ready in 10 minutes after being soaked overnight with the addition of bicarbonate
Thanks for the info!
Wow. I did not know about the French occupation of Malta.
i also find i learn something new every day π
This is so useful, I have yellow split peas in the cupboard and haven’t planned how to use them!
that would also work I am sure Elaine, mine were yellow beans. I love the addition of yoghurt in dips π
Me too π and I’ve added quark to some dips recently which has been nice x
Love the dip! Wish I could get my hands on some favetta beans… but would red lentils substitute?
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