“Fave” And Prosciutto

ItalianCookingTips:
We Italian eat even raw broad beans! To be precise, it is traditional to eat raw broad beans and pieces of pecorino cheese on May 1. It’s the Workers’ Day to remember that these “poor” ingredients were eaten by farmers while working in the fields

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Traditional Side Dish – Classic Italian

By Massimo Porcelli – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 – Cooking Time: 20 – Total Time: 40

Broad Beans and Ham: a very simple recipe to enhance this strange legume - a little pea, a little bean - widely used in Italian gastronomy in the spring, when it reaches full maturity. It has a really interesting taste: sweet and pasty at the beginning, with a pleasant spicy and bitter aftertaste, it can be cooked in many ways. With the beans you can also prepare creams, soups and the famous "macco", typical of southern Italy, which is prepared as a hummus and has a sweet and delicate flavor. In my home, in late spring, we cook them in a pan, with a little onion and lots of ham for an unusual sweet / bitter contrast: a perfect side dish for meat or fish. Ready in 15 minutes, they are an excellent alternative to boring frozen peas!

Ingredients

• Fresh Broad Beans (with Pod) 800gr
• Prosciutto di Parma 3 slices
• Onion 1
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt

Instructions

1

Slice the onion very finely, cut the ham into strips and peel the broad beans

2

Brown the onion with butter and oil and when it is lightly browned, after about 5 minutes, add the ham. Leave to cook for another 5 minutes before adding the broad beans

3

Salt, cover with the lid and cook until the broad beans are soft. Do not overcook them to prevent them from drying out. If necessary, add a little warm water to lengthen the cooking

4

Serve the Fave and Prosciutto warm or at room temperature

Notes

Broad beans have a strange history. Known throughout the Mediterranean Sea, in Europe, Africa and the Middle East they are also carriers of even serious allergies. That is why they have often been considered, in ancient times, a poisonous or even cursed food. In fact they cause "favism" a rather widespread disease (for example in Sardinia). In the past they were also considered

ItalianCookingTips:
This recipe can also be prepared with fresh peas or, at worst, with frozen ones. the result will certainly be less interesting and more boring, but still valid: the proof is yours

ItalianCookingTips
I advise you to buy good Parma ham, the sweetest and most delicate, and ask the delicatessen to cut it into 2 thick slices (2 or 3 millimeters) so that it is easier to cut it into strips and that it does not fall apart when cooked.
More info about prosciutto on https://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/