'Ncapriata Di Fave Or Fava Bean Puree

• 1/2 pound dried peeled fava beans or 1 pound whole dried fava beans with skins
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  Soak the beans for several hours or overnight. Drain and, if using dried beans with their skins on, pull the outer skin off and discard. Transfer the beans to a deep saucepan, and add water to cover. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises. Once the foam has stopped rising, add salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the beans, stirring frequently with a long-handled wooden spoon. The beans should gradually dissolve into the cooking liquid. Keep a separate pan or kettle of water simmering on the stove and, when necessary, add a little hot water to the simmering beans to keep them from drying out or scorching.Continue to cook for about an hour, stirring much more regularly in the last 15 minutes. When the beans are completely dissolved, without any lumps, they should have the consistency of clotted cream. If lumps remain after cooking for an hour, continue to cook, or, alternatively, run through a sieve to remove any lumps.Off the heat, beat in olive oil with the wooden spoon. Adjust salt to taste. Serve on thick slices of bread that are either toasted and brushed with olive oil or fried in olive oil. Serve with boiled bitter greens if desired.