Minestra di Fave Fresche e Guanciale Molisano
Molise — widespread throughout the region, spring seasonal
Spring soup from Molise using fresh fava beans in their pods at the peak of season, cooked with cured guanciale and a soffritto of onion and spring onion. The beans are shelled, the inner skin removed from larger beans (older beans), and added to a base built with rendered guanciale, onion, and parsley. Water or light stock barely covers the beans; the soup cooks briefly (15–20 minutes) to preserve the fresh, grassy character of the fave. Finished with raw olive oil and grated aged pecorino. This is a seasonal dish eaten only for the short spring window when fresh fave are available.