Abruzzo
A spring soup from the Abruzzo countryside using fresh fava beans (fave fresche) — shelled and double-peeled for the tenderest result — cooked in a light pork bone broth with guanciale and finished with aged Pecorino Abruzzese and a drizzle of raw olive oil. The fresh fava season in Abruzzo is brief (April–May) and this soup is made almost exclusively during this window.
Vivid green, sweet and faintly grassy from the fresh favas; guanciale adds porky richness; Pecorino gives salt and sharpness; olive oil finishes with fruitiness — spring in a bowl, available for only 6 weeks a year
{"Double-peel the fava beans: remove the outer pod, then blanch briefly and remove the inner skin — the grey skin on each bean is tough and bitter","Do not overcook — fresh favas need only 8–10 minutes; overcooked favas lose their vivid green colour and become mealy","A light pork bone broth (not a heavy beef broth) — the delicacy of fresh favas requires a lighter, more neutral base","Add guanciale rendered first in the pot before adding broth — the rendered fat is the soffritto base","Pecorino and olive oil added off heat to individual bowls — both are raw finishes that are destroyed by cooking"}
{"A small amount of fresh wild mint is traditional in Abruzzo for this spring soup — 4–5 leaves torn over just before serving","For a more substantial version, add a small pasta (ditalini or broken spaghetti) in the last 8 minutes","The inner skins removed during double-peeling can be dried and blended to a powder for adding to pasta dough"}
{"Single-peeled favas — the inner skin makes the soup bitter and grey-tinged","Overcooking — fresh favas turn grey-brown and mealy; the cooking time is much shorter than dried legumes","Heavy beef broth — it overwhelms the delicate fresh fava flavour; a light pork or chicken broth is correct"}
La Cucina Abruzzese — Tradizioni Pastorali