[Sca-cooks] Another 14th c. Cairene Lenten Dish

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Yeah, yeah, it's well past Lent, but i had this can of cooked dried 
favas, and a couple Lenten fava recipes from that 14th C. Cairene 
cookbook... so Tuesday i had a Tharida of favas for lunch...

As for Thurda
Boil peeled fava beans with a little salt until they are done. Cut up 
the tharid (crumbled bread) and throw cumin and sumac leaves (?) on 
it and lemon juice, walnuts, and sour whey or yogurt, or clarified 
butter, or olive oil and sesame oil, and soak it with the fava bean 
water and serve.

Here's the recipe broken down:

peeled fava beans
a little salt
tharid (crumbled bread)
cumin
sumac leaves (?)
lemon juice
walnuts
sour whey or yogurt, or clarified butter, or olive oil and sesame oil

Peel fava beans.
Boil with a little salt until they are done.
Cut up the tharid (crumbled bread)
Add cumin and sumac leaves (?) on it and lemon juice, walnuts, and 
sour whey or substitute.
Moisten it with the fava bean water.
Serve.

Here's what i actually did:

1/2 of a 29 oz can medium-small fava beans [i believe these were 
cooked dried beans]
cumin, ground
sumac, crushed
lemon juice - one lemon - i like things tart
chopped walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts - a few spoonsful
olive oil and sesame oil
artisanal Italian bread sandwich mini-loaf, made with flour, water, 
yeast, sugar, and salt
a little salt

Open can - remove 1/2 fava beans to sauce pan with slotted spoon.
Add to favas in sauce pan some cumin, sumac, lemon juice, nuts, and 
olive and sesame oils.
[I used the chopped nuts that were left over from the Lenten cabbage 
i'd made a couple weeks ago.]
Warm on medium-low fire, stirring periodically.
While beans are warming, tear up the bun.
When things in the pot look right, taste and adjust seasoning.
Then add the bread and half the fava bean water from the can.
When bread is soft and mushy, add salt to taste and eat.

Yeah, this is almost as vague as the original. It was simple, 
"peasanty" and tasty. I can probably pin some measures down if anyone 
wants me to.

It would have been *very* different with fresh rather than dried favas.