This is a recipe typical of Sicily, but similar recipes can be found also in other southern Italian regions.

It’s a very simple recipe of the peasant tradition, so with ingredients that traditionally were considered poor, in particular the fava/broad beans. It’s a recipe that can be made either with fresh or dried fava beans, and as you can understand it’s a very healthy dish (like all the legume based recipes).

Moreover it’s also a vegan recipe, one the many traditional old Italian recipes that can fit also with that diet.

INGREDIENTS (2 people):

• 250 g dried fava beans (they will double the weight, and there’s to remove the peel which is about 30% of the total weight)
• 1 onion, or spring onions
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 fresh bay leaves
• salt

1. First of all there is to soak the dried fava beans overnight, in abundant water. Then on the following day drain them, and easily remove all the peels. Wash them again then.
2. Take a cocotte, add the peeled fava beans and water enough to cover them (not too much over the beans, one finger, if needed we will add later). Start to boil, and remove the foam on the surface at the beginning. When it starts boiling, set the heat on very low, add the bay leaves and cover.
3. Take a pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and cook the finely chopped onion/spring onion until soft, then pour it in the pot with the fava beans.
4. After the first hour, remove the bay leaves and season with some salt.
5. After about 1,5 hours the beans should start to fall apart into small pieces. If needed add some hot water, but remember that we have to obtain a cream and not a soup.
6. Take an immersion blender and make a cream from all the beans. Let it boil uncovered until you reach the desired texture, control if it’s seasoned enough, then let it rest about 10 minutes before serving.
7. Serve it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, croutons and if you can find it also with wild fennel (I used a pesto made with it). Enjoy 🙂

PS: in the case you do it a bit too much liquid, you can easily solve the problem by adding some pasta to it. Indeed it will absorb the extra liquid, moreover it will make the recipe even tastier!