Pasta with fava beans, pancetta, and Pecorino

Especially in spring, fresh fava beans are a central ingredient in Sicilian cuisine and are used in many traditional dishes. The combination of a few high-quality ingredients, fresh herbs like mint, and good olive oil reflects the island’s typical cooking philosophy: simple, flavorful, and closely connected to regional products.

Ingredients

• 360 g durum wheat pasta
• 300 g fresh fava beans (weight after shelling)
• 100 g pancetta or guanciale
• 1 shallot or 1 fresh spring onion
• Fresh mint
• Salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil (e.g. from il circolo)
• Grated Pecorino Romano (DOP)

Instructions

1. Shell the fresh fava beans (and if they are quite large, remove the small green tip from each bean, as it can be slightly bitter).
2. Finely chop the shallot and sauté it in a pan with a little olive oil and a small amount of water until soft. Add the washed fava beans and sauté over high heat for a few minutes. Once they change color and the skins begin to split, season with salt, pepper, and chopped mint, then turn off the heat. The beans should remain slightly crunchy.
3. In a second pan, cook the pancetta or guanciale in small pieces until some of the fat has rendered. Drain and add the meat to the fava beans.
4. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the fava beans and pancetta, then remove from the heat. Add a ladle of the pasta cooking water and the grated Pecorino.
5. Mix the pasta vigorously with the sauce until a creamy emulsion forms (mantecatura). Add more cooking water gradually if needed.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with freshly ground black pepper and a little mint.