Where I come from in Palermo, they are called “fave ‘ca cipuddùzza” and are a fairly typical dish of the land where I live. I fondly remember when I was a child, and my mother often made them, drawing appreciation from all family members. Especially my older brother, who has always been quite picky with food, ate impressive amounts but peeled each fava bean, creating real mounds of “waste” on his plate. Basically, he “sucked” each single fava bean to obtain a sweeter taste, as the skin is naturally a bit bitter.

So I’ve always kept this tradition, and since I left my parents’ house, I’ve had to equip myself to make it. My wife, in fact, is the one who better taught me the cooking process, which I clearly got wrong at first, until I reached the same level as my mother. Let’s call it a nice satisfaction!

You really need very little, only 2 main ingredients to make a delicious and healthy fava bean soup. I used frozen fava beans that work perfectly and plenty of onion that strongly characterizes this exquisite dish.

Related recipes:

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Very Cheap
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Boiling
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Region: Sicily
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring

Ingredients

For the fava bean and onion soup

1 package frozen fava beans
2 white onions
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste water
to taste salt
to taste dried oregano

Tools

Pot and lid
Chopping Board

Steps

To make the fava bean and onion soup

First, slice the onions into strips about 1/4 inch thick.
To begin, heat the oil in a pot and then sauté the sliced onions, being careful not to burn them.
Continue by mixing everything and let it simmer for a few minutes with the lid on, setting the flame to medium-low.
Next, add water until it just covers the onions and then add all the fava beans.
At this point, add salt and more water if necessary, but without completely covering the fava beans.
To finish, cook on low heat with the lid on for about 40 minutes, occasionally checking the water level and stirring.
Finally, serve the soup in bowls or deep plates and garnish with a drizzle of raw olive oil and oregano.