Ostuni, the beautiful white city, is not only a destination for tourists from all over, walking through the historic center in the height of summer, you may hear a tickle and see an old lady approaching you who taps on a cutting board with a smooth stone, maybe found in the nearby beach of Campo Marino, what remains of the fresh broad beans, so as to dry them and keep them ready for the winter season.
The beans are a very common legume used in Puglia and in particular in the province of Brindisi. It is part of the tradition and although it is a poor dish, for some it is considered a delicacy, it is surprising how this legume manages to marry perfectly with many other foods.
Here is the original recipe:
Ingredients
For 4 people
- 400 grams of dried broad beans (they are straw yellow in color
- 2 medium potatoes
- 100 gr of 00 flour
- Olive oil and salt to taste
To accompany, mandatory:
- Croutons of bread or homemade bread
An ingredient chosen from:
- Chard 1 kg
- Chicory 1 kg
- Courgette 1 kg
- Peppers 500 gr
- Carousels 500 gr
- Turnips 1 kg
and not only, the beans also match the grapes and the yellow melon!
Process
First, put the beans to soak in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, soak them for about two hours. Drain well and put the beans in a large pot, before starting cooking, clean the potatoes, cut them into cubes and add to the pot together with the broad beans. Light the fire in moderate vial under the pan after the first 10 minutes you will begin to see a white patina similar to a foam, with a wooden spoon try to eliminate it (in dialect this operation is called foaming the beans). Once done, add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Continue cooking until you see that the mixture becomes a puree. At this the beans are ready. To make them denser, I’ll give you a trick, add two tablespoons of 00 flour.
Now you can taste the beans already this way, accompanying them with homemade bread or croutons or…
Wash and cook it in salt water your favorite vegetables (such as chicory, chard, turnips, courgettes). Once it is ready, season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve the beans in a single portion, laying the chosen vegetables on top. Tradition has it that the beans are mixed together with the vegetables, try it!
