Fave al prosciutto
Tuscany
Preparation - Easy
Serves 6
To make fave al prosciutto, broad beans with ham, for two people you will need:
1 kg or 2 1/4 lbs of fresh, young fava (broad) beans, shelled
two tablespoons of olive oil
30 g or 1 1/2 oz of pancetta or bacon, diced
two cloves of garlic, chopped
three fresh sage leaves
stock as needed
salt and pepper
First shell the beans. In a large saucepan heat up the olive oil and add the chopped garlic, the pancetta cut into dice and the sage leaves. Allow these to cook gently until the pancetta has taken on colour and the garlic has softened. Do not brown or burn them. Add the shelled beans and turn in the oil until they are all coated. Next add hot stock to just cover the beans. Season with black pepper, but taste carefully before adding salt as there will be some in the pancetta. Allow to simmer gently until the beans are tender. Drain and serve with a little of the juice. Right at the beginning of the broad bean season, when the beans are small and tender, they are often served raw and in their shells. They are simply put in a basket and left on the table so that those who want to can help themselves, shell them and eat them with absolutely no additions. They may be eaten at the beginning or the end of the meal, and their bitter, tender flavour is delightful.
