Pugliese tagliatelle with fresh & dried fava beans, salted dried ricotta, parsley, mint & basil

(Loane con fave secche e fave fresche)

Serves 6

For those who have never heard of this dish, it is an unusual, regional, peasant-style pasta. It is very simple—and I think it is great. When making the dish, keep in mind that the dried fava bean purée will thicken and dry very quickly once all the ingredients are combined, so it is important to serve the dish as quickly as possible once it is cooked. Feel free to increase the quantity of salted ricotta served on the dish, and you can likewise use more chilli and drizzle additional extra virgin olive oil at the end.

20 large fresh broad (fava) beans

300 g (10½ oz) dried broad (fava) beans, soaked overnight and drained

750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) vegetable broth or chicken broth

fine sea salt, to taste

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) good-quality dried loane (or tagliatelle)

200 ml (7 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, 1 clove sliced and 1 clove finely chopped

dried chilli flakes, to taste

3 flat-leaf (Italian) parsley sprigs, finely chopped

6 mint leaves, finely chopped

6 sweet basil leaves, finely chopped

100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

150 g (5½ oz) grated ricotta salata (salted dried ricotta cheese), to serve

Pod the broad beans then blanch in a saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water, drain and refresh in iced water. Peel and set aside.

Peel the skins of the soaked dried broad beans then place in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with vegetable or chicken broth. Season with the sea salt and cook slowly for about 1 hour or until the beans begin to fall apart. Add additional water during the cooking process if required. Pass the mixture through a food mill or blend in a food processor to make a smooth purée. Cook the pasta in abundant salted boiling water until al dente. Add the fresh broad beans to the pasta 1 minute before draining. After draining, return to the pot. Add the broad bean purée to the pasta and fresh broad beans.

In a separate saucepan, heat half of the extra virgin olive oil and add the sliced garlic. Cook for a few seconds and set aside for a minute before adding to the pasta and broad bean purée. Add the chilli flakes, herbs, chopped garlic and remaining extra virgin olive oil. Incorporate into the pasta and broad bean purée with the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Season with the sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with grated ricotta salata.