Fave e Cicoria (Broad beans and chicory) is a traditional dish of the Apulian region of Italy. It’s also known as “ncapriata” or “fae e foje” and it is an ancient, naturally vegan peasant dish.
The pair of these two main ingredients it’s perfect, the sweet broad bean puree goes perfectly with the bitterness of the chicory. The traditional Apulian recipe includes wild chicory but you can replace it with cultivated chicory or chard. It’s a super tasty and nutritious dish that is made with just a few ingredients.
What you need for Fave e Cicoria
- Dried shelled broad beans
- Potato
- Chicory
- Salt and pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
As you can see, the ingredients are vey few, so it’s important to choose the highest quality ones for the best result.
Step by step instructions
- Depending on which beans you find, they might require soaking, some don’t. If they do you need to soak them overnight. The ones I used didn’t require soaking.
- Rinse the broad beans then add them to a pan with a potato and add water until covered. You might need to add more while they boil. Place the pot on the hob at medium/low heat and boil for about an hour, until very tender. Foam will be created while they cook and it needs to be removed. Add water if they absorb a lot of it.
- When the beans are almost done cook the chicory by cutting it roughly and boiling it in salted water until tender, then place in a bowl with some ice to maintain the bright green colour.
- When the beans are soft, mash or blend them into a puree (it should be similar to mashed potatoes) and mix them with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread the puree on a plate and top with the chicory and season with a good amount of extra virgin olive oil.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I love to see recreations and share them!
Fave e Cicoria – Italian Broad Beans and Chicory
A super simple and delicious dish of Italian cucina povera
Ingredients
- 300 g dried shelled broad beans
- 1 potato
- 600 g chicory
- salt and pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- The beans I used didn’t requite soaking, some types might. Rinse them then add them to a pan with a potato and add water until covered. You might need to add more while they boil.
- Place the pot on the hob at medium/low heat and boil for about an hour, until very tender. Foam will be created while they cook and it needs to be removed. Add water if they absorb a lot of it.
- When the beans are almost done cook the chicory by cutting it roughly and boiling it in salted water until tender, then place in a bowl with some ice to maintain the bright green colour.
- When the beans are soft, mash or blend them into a puree (it should be similar to mashed potatoes) and mix them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the puree on a plate and top with the chicory and season with a good amount of extra virgin olive oil.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
