CARTA DI MUSICA CON FAVA
Carta di Musica, Fava Bean Puree
Serves 8
A great vegetarian dish to enjoy while you’re standing around chatting, drinking bubbles and waiting for dinner to start. The bean puree is incredibly moreish.This dough takes 2 days to prepare. To avoid the risk of the breads collapsing when removed from the oven, be sure to bake them until puffed and crisp.
Ingredients
4 g fresh yeast, crumbled, or ½ teaspoon dried yeast
2 cups (500 ml) water
800 g plain flour
3 teaspoons salt
Olive oil, for rubbing
Fava Bean Puree
175 g dried, small split fava beans
100 ml olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 litre water
25 ml extra virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Method
To make the bread, place the yeast and water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix until the yeast has dissolved. Add 4 cups (600 g) of the flour and mix on low speed for 10 minutes. Add the remaining flour and the salt and mix for a further 5 minutes or until a smooth dough has formed.
Remove the dough from the mixer and place on a clean workbench. Form the dough into a ball and rub the surface with olive oil. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes in a bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and rest in the fridge overnight.
The next day, cut the dough into 8 even portions and roll into balls. Place on a well-floured tray, then cover with a damp cloth and refrigerate overnight again.
Remove the dough from the fridge 3 hours before you want to shape it.
Preheat the oven to as high as it will go. Grease a baking tray.
On a floured bench, use a rolling pin to roll out a ball of dough to a 26 cm round. Place on the prepared tray and put it straight in the hot oven for a few minutes until the dough has puffed up. Remove from the oven and set aside, then repeat with the remaining balls.
To make the fava bean puree, soak the beans in cold water overnight. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes without colouring. Strain the soaked beans and add to the onion mixture. Add the salt and 1 litre water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until the beans have broken down completely.
Spoon the bean mixture into a food processor or blender, add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest and blend until smooth. Check the seasoning and add a little more salt if necessary. Serve at room temperature, or slightly warmed with the bread. Store any leftover fava bean puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
