This simple, traditional Pugliese dish is known in Italy as fave e cicoria. It is a fava bean puree with sautéed wild chicory greens. It will be sure to bring any Pugliese a taste of home. Fava beans are a staple of Puglia, and the chicory plant grows freely in the fields, so it is easy to find all year old.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
500 g dried, peeled fava beans
1 kg wild chicory – If the chicory is hard to find you can substitute it with young dandelion leaves that are similar to the bitter chicory
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove garlic
2-3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Preparation:
- Cook the beans and bay leaves with 3-4 pinches of salt, add enough water to just cover. Cover and leave to simmer for 2-3 hours until it has a puree consistency. Add water if needed and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile wash chicory leaves and cook in boiling water with a pinch of salt for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a different pan and add crushed garlic. We recommend you use a mortar & pestle, so garlic is crushed, not to a mush, but rather just broken up a little, to allow the flavors to come through.
- Add drained, cooked chicory almost right away. Cook for 10-15 minutes and season with salt and pepper at the end.
- Serve together by spooning fava bean puree on one side of the plate and the chicory leaves on the other. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Eat chicory like you would spaghetti, by twirling it on your fork. The bitter taste of the leaves are in perfect harmony with the fava bean’s sweet, creamy texture.
[…] with Fava Beans. This dish, known as fave e cicoria in Italy, comes from the region of Puglia. It is simple yet rich in protein and other nutrients. […]