Broad beans macco is a typical Sicilian recipe that it has got peasant origins. I’m sure that all of you have tasted this fantastic cream of beans at least once. Its preparation is extraordinarily simple and its taste is indescribably delicious. Yes, simple dishes often prevail over elaborate ones. Everyone will know by now that this broad bean soup is flavored with wild fennel and with other vegetables such as cabbage for example. These ingredients give more flavor to broad beans, but be careful: don’t use too much fennel because it could cover the flavor of all the other ingredients! Be wary! So neither too much nor too little .. Do you know what our Latin ancestors used to say? “In media stat virtus” and they were right!
Serves: 4
For the broad beans macco:
- 700 grams shelled broad beans
- 140 grams spring onion
- Some cabbage leaves
- Wild fennel leaves (plus those ones for decoration)
- Salt to taste
- Fresh white pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Remove the outer membrane that cover the beans. Peel the spring onion and slice it. Set aside. Then wash the cabbage leaves, eliminate the central coast, dry them with a kitchen paper and finally roll them on themselves and cut crosswise into strips.At this point, fry the onion for a couple of minutes, after add broad beans and cabbage leaves. Stir and cover with water. Season with salt and cook when the vegetables are tender. Pass the mixture with a vegetables masher and sieve if necessary. This additional step will help you to create a smooth and homogeneous cream.
For the bread chips:
- 20 grams all-purpose flour
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 100 ml water
- A pinch of salt
Method
Pour all the ingredients into a large glass and mix them with an immersion mixer. Heat a non-stick pan well and pour a ladleful of mixture. Cook until the oil has finished sizzling and the chips becomes alveolate, golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a plate covered with kitchen paper. Repeat this operation until the dough is finished.
Plating
Pour the mixture into a bowl plate, pepper to taste, then place the bread chip and decorate with the wild fennel leaves.