Traditionally, hummus is made with garbanzo beans. While this recipe calls for favas, grown abundantly in Ventura County, if you can find fresh garbanzo beans at the markets they can be easily substituted in here. Paired with rustic Italian flatbread and Middle Eastern seasonings, this is sure to be a hit at your next backyard barbecue.
Ingredients
- 1¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup warm water
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons blended oil
- 1 quart (4 cups) all-purpose flour*
- Oil for cooking
- 1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled* (yields approximately 1 cup when shelled)
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup tahini (sesame seed) paste
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 avocado (skin and pit removed)
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon za’atar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
To make piadina:
Mix yeast, ¾ cup warm water and sugar together and set aside for 10 minutes, until the yeast foams.
Place proofed yeast mixture along with rest of ingredients in a mixer. Mix until the dough comes together, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.
Cut and form dough into nine (3-ounce) balls. Cover the balls and let rest for another 20 minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium-high flame and brush with oil. One at a time, roll each dough ball into a flat thin disk about ¼ inch thick and grill for about 2–4 minutes per side on the hot skillet. Continue until all dough disks are cooked. Serve whole or torn.
For the hummus:
Steam fresh fava beans for about 20 minutes or until tender, then cool.
Using a food processor, pulse cooked beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and avocado. Add enough water until your desired texture is achieved. Season with salt to taste. Garnish with za’atar and drizzled extra virgin olive oil.
Serve the piadina with the fresh hummus.
Chef Tip: To prevent sticking, spray the dough balls with nonstick spray while they proof. Also dust the balls with flour before you roll them out.
* Editor’s Notes: 1. We also tested this recipe with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mixture and it performed very well. 2. Fava beans for this recipe were provided by the Carranza Family of the McGrath Family Farms Collective.
