In short. Fave e cicoria — dried broad beans cooked slowly to a purée, served with wild chicory and a river of olive oil. Poor food that became the emblem of the whole region.
Two things, cooked separately, eaten together: the sweetness of the beans against the bitterness of the greens. Nothing else is added, and nothing else is needed.
Ingredients
- 400 g of dried broad beans
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- wild chicory (cime di rape also work), to serve
Method
1. Soaking. Cover the beans with water in a pan and leave them for 12 hours.
2. The long cook. Drain and cook them over a low heat, in plenty of salted water, for about three hours.
3. The purée. After the first cooking, mash the beans and carry on cooking, stirring frequently, until you have a smooth purée.
4. Serving. Drizzle generously with olive oil and serve, with the boiled greens alongside.
Stir, or it catches. Once the beans break down, the purée sticks to the bottom of the pan very quickly. The frequent stirring in the last stage is not optional advice — it is the difference between a purée and a burnt one.
More on the first courses page.
