Thoroughly wash the yellow split peas and place in a pan with 500 ml of water. Slowly bring to the boil skimming off any foam that appears. Boil briskly for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Meanwhile roughly chop the carrot, onion and garlic and add to the pan after the 10 minutes of boiling, along with the bay leaves and sprig of of rosemary. Simmer until tender stirring occasionally – around 45 minutes, and adding more water if required.
Drain the split peas reserving the cooking water. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprig. Add the split peas to the blender with enough of the cooking water to make a smooth thick purée, or blend using a stick-blender.
Season to taste with a the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Whilst the split peas are cooking, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients. Taste and season to your liking. Reserve.
Prepare the calamari by separating the tentacles from the body and cutting into bite size pieces. Pat dry with kitchen towel.
Once the fava is made, heat a ridged non-stick pan or heavy frying pan. Quickly griddle the calamari pieces for 1-2 minutes maximum in batches, just until they turn opaque. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and some salt and pepper.
Serve the fava on warmed plates with the calamari on top and some of the dressing.
Notes
You will need a blender or stick-blender, and a ridged non-stick pan or frying pan.
The Fava can be cooked ahead of time and gently rewarmed, and can also be frozen so you could batch cook it.
Fava also makes a delicious alternative to hummus, served at room temperature topped with a little extra virgin olive oil and some capers and served with some crusty bread.
Prepared calamari can be found in supermarkets fresh or frozen. As an alternative steamed white fish would go very well with this dish if you prefer. If you are feeling very adventurous, try some grilled octopus!
