Fried Fava Bean Squares (Saint Joseph's Maccu, Leftover Maccu)

La storia di questo piatto

Maccu is the humble fava soup of Sicily, tied to the feast of San Giuseppe, and here the leftover is given a second life as golden fried squares. It is the Sicilian way of honoring what remains, turning a quiet purée into street food.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Hulled dried fava beans
• 1200 ml Water
• 8 g Sea salt (for cooking)
• 1 sprig Wild fennel (sprig for cooking)
• 10 g Fresh wild fennel, finely chopped (to fold into maccu)
• 60 g Durum wheat semolina flour (for coating)
• 30 ml Extra virgin olive oil (for maccu)
• 500 ml Seed oil for frying
• 2 g Fine sea salt for finishing (after frying)
• 1.5 g Freshly ground black pepper (after frying, to taste)
• 1 pc Lemon (wedges for serving, optional)

Preparazione

1. Rinse the fava beans under running water: hulled dried fava beans require no soaking. Place them in a large pot with 1.2 liters of cold water, sea salt, and the wild fennel sprig. Bring to a boil, skim the surface with a slotted spoon, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45–50 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking on the bottom: the fava beans will open and break apart naturally. If much liquid remains at the end of cooking, evaporate it over high heat while stirring; if the bottom dries out too early, add a ladle of hot water.
2. Remove the wild fennel sprig and blend the fava beans with an immersion blender until you achieve a smooth, lump-free purée. Return the pot to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 15–20 minutes until the maccu becomes thick and creamy like polenta and a wooden spoon stands upright in it. Remove from heat, fold in the extra virgin olive oil and fresh chopped wild fennel, and stir gently until the oil is fully incorporated and bound to the purée.
3. Wet a rectangular baking pan with cold water, spread the hot maccu into it, and level it with a damp spatula to approximately 2 cm thickness. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour until completely cold and firm to the touch, like cooled polenta. This is passive resting time (approximately 90 minutes total) and requires no active work.
4. Turn the chilled maccu out onto a cutting board and cut it into squares of approximately 3×3 cm and 2 cm thick using a wet knife for clean cuts. Coat the pieces with durum wheat semolina flour, shaking off excess, to form a thin, dry protective coating for frying. Pour seed oil into a deep skillet (to a depth of at least 3–4 cm so the pieces are nearly submerged) and heat to 175°C: without a thermometer, a small piece of bread should sizzle and brown in just a few seconds.
5. Fry in batches without crowding the skillet, gently turning with a slotted spoon until the pieces are golden on all sides: approximately 3–4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with fine sea salt and a grind of black pepper to taste while still hot, so the salt adheres to the crispy crust. Serve at once with lemon wedges.