Sardinia
A Sardinian pastoral soup of dried fava beans slow-cooked until they dissolve into a dense, silky purée, finished with aged Pecorino Sardo and wild fennel fronds. The term 'marò' refers to the pounding of the beans — traditionally stone-milled — giving a slightly rough, textured consistency rather than a smooth cream. Drizzled with raw olive oil and eaten with carta musica.
Earthy, sweet and faintly anise-scented from the fennel; Pecorino adds sheep's milk salt; the raw olive oil finish gives a grassy bitterness that lifts the whole bowl
{"Use dried, peeled split fava beans — whole dried favas take far longer and don't achieve the same creaminess","Soak peeled favas only 2–3 hours; over-soaking causes them to lose structure and turn gluey rather than silky","Cook on the lowest heat for 2 hours, stirring regularly — favas scorch easily on the bottom without attention","Add wild fennel fronds (or fennel seeds if unavailable) in the last 10 minutes to preserve their anise notes","Season only at the end — the pecorino is very salty and can easily over-salt the dish"}
{"A rind of old Pecorino Sardo added to the water during cooking gives extraordinary depth","Finish with a generous drizzle of the best Sardinian Coratina olive oil — the pepper note of Coratina is the perfect contrast to the sweet favas","A sliced boiled egg placed on top is traditional in the rural Nuoro area version"}
{"Using whole unpeeled dried favas — the skins never fully soften and give an unpleasant texture","Rushing the cook time — favas need 2 full hours at low heat to achieve the characteristic silky density","Adding Pecorino to the hot soup over the heat — it becomes stringy; stir it off heat"}
La Cucina della Sardegna — Paste, Pani e Secondi