Puglia — fave e cicoria is pan-Pugliese but most strongly identified with the Brindisi and Lecce provinces. The wild cicoria selvatica is foraged from January through April across the Tavoliere and the Salento plains. The dried fava bean is among the oldest cultivated legumes in the Mediterranean, documented in archaeological remains from 6000 BC in the Puglia region.
Fave e cicoria is the most celebrated Pugliese dish and one of the greatest preparations in Italian cooking — a smooth, dense purée of dried fava beans cooked down to an almost frothy consistency, served alongside boiled wild chicory (cicoria selvatica) dressed simply with olive oil. The opposition of the mild, slightly sweet fava purée and the intensely bitter, almost astringent wild chicory is the point of the dish. Without the bitterness of wild chicory, fave e cicoria is pleasant but not revelatory. With genuine cicoria selvatica (not the milder cultivated variety), it is one of the defining flavour experiences of southern Italian cooking.
Fave e cicoria on the plate is a study in opposites: the pale, ivory-beige fava purée is mild, sweet, and velvety; the dark-green cicoria, piled alongside, is intensely bitter and slightly chewy. A puddle of raw Pugliese olive oil sits in the hollow of the purée. The first spoonful combines all three elements — the contrast of flavours is immediate and vivid. It is one of those preparations where simplicity becomes complexity.
Use dried split fava beans (fave secche sgusciate). Soak overnight. Drain; cook in fresh water with 2 potatoes (optional — some versions add potato for creaminess), a garlic clove, and a stalk of celery for 45-60 minutes until completely soft. Pass through a food mill or mouli (not a blender — the texture should be slightly irregular, not smooth). Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Beat in a good quantity of raw olive oil to create a rich, almost whipped purée. For the cicoria: boil wild chicory (or the bitterest cultivated variety available) in abundant salted water 8-10 minutes; drain; dress with raw olive oil and sea salt while hot.
Wild chicory (cicoria selvatica) is available at Italian and some Asian greengrocers in late winter and spring; it is far more bitter than cultivated curly endive or Belgian endive. The Italian term 'cicoria' in Pugliese cooking refers specifically to this wild plant. Some Pugliese cooks add a small amount of the white potato (cooked with the fava) to lighten and enrich the purée simultaneously. A drizzle of raw Pugliese olive oil (DOP Terra di Bari or DOP Dauno) over the finished purée is essential — it adds the fruity, slightly peppery note that completes the dish.
Using a blender rather than a food mill — blended fava purée is gluey and lacks the slightly textured quality of the traditional preparation. Insufficient olive oil — the purée should be generously oiled, almost voluptuous; a mean purée is wrong. Using cultivated chicory that is too mild — the entire dish depends on the bitterness of the green; mild chicory produces a pleasant but undramatic result.
Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy; Slow Food Editore, Puglia in Cucina