It is called incapriata, or also, in the dialect of Apulia, a region in the south of Italy, fae and fogghie, we are talking about the fava bean puree served on a bed of chicory. Fava beans and chicory is a simple and genuine dish, typical of the Apulian peasant cuisine and brings with it the scents and aromas of this land. The original recipe calls for the use of dried fava beans but, since it is now the season and it can sometimes be difficult to find dried fava beans, we took a little liberty and thought of proposing the version with fresh fava beans! The result is a delicious dish, in which the sweetness of the fava beans marries perfectly with the bitter character of the chicory. Fava beans and chicory can be served as a well-balanced dish, where we find the proteins contained in the fava beans, which also provide anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering properties, the fibers and phenolic compounds of chicory and the carbohydrates, and therefore energy, of the toasted bread served as an accompaniment to this dish (Martineau Cotè et al, Nutrients, 2022 - Nwafor et al, ScientificWorldJournal, 2017). Enjoy your meal, the flavors of Apulia are served!
Ingredients
500 grams of fresh fava beans
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
500 grams of chicory
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Homemade bread
Open the fava bean pod with the help of a knife and extract the fava beans. With a light pressure of the fingers, remove the peel of the fava beans. Put the fava beans into a pot full of lightly salted boiling water and cook for ten minutes. Drain the fava beans and pass them under a jet of cold water. Chop the onion and brown it in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the fava beans and cook over low heat for about ten minutes. Pour the fava beans and onion into the blender container, add a ladle of water or, even better, vegetable broth, a pinch of salt and pepper and blend until you obtain a creamy consistency. Clean and boil the chicory for 5 minutes in lightly salted boiling water. Drain the chicory. Serve the fava bean puree with the boiled chicory, season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. To make the dish even tastier, accompany it with slices of lightly toasted homemade bread rubbed with a clove of garlic.
