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Put a large frying pan on a medium-high heat, add the olives and fry for five to eight minutes, until lightly charred and blistered. Transfer to a board.
Put two tablespoons of olive oil in the hot frying pan, turn down the heat to medium-low, then add the onion and half the garlic, and saute for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft but not coloured.
Stir in the cumin, then add the drained beans and 200ml of the reserved bean liquid. Bring to a boil, season to taste, then turn down the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes.
Towards the end of the cooking time, especially if you’re using tinned beans, you might need gently break up and mash the beans gently with a potato masher – you’re not looking for a puree here, just a creamy broken consistency, so add a little more liquid, if need be.
While the beans are cooking, make the dressing. Put the chilli in a mortar with the remaining garlic and a good pinch of salt, then bash with the pestle until broken down and creamy.
Add the chopped parsley to the mix, and pound that in, too. Halve one of the lemons, squeeze in its juice, then stir in a couple of tablespoons of oil to loosen, or to taste.
Chop the charred olives, then stir them into the green dressing with the tomatoes.
Serve the creamy fava beans drizzled with the spicy green dressing. They’re perfect with some warm pitta.