Pasta with broad beans and ricotta cheese

The pasta with broad beans and ricotta cheese is probably one of the most typical dishes of Sicily. Triumph of simplicity, this pasta is in fact prepared with two ingredients that never miss in the kitchens of the Sicilian housewives: broad beans, those small and more tender, and fresh ewe's ricotta cheese, that is used in particular in the area of Agrigento. For you to really get the delicate and refined taste that is born from the meeting of these two ingredients, I recommend you to use broad beans and ricotta, both fresh. Some recipes prescribe to fry the broad beans in a pan, but in the version that I propose  they are prepared in a pot, so as to affect as little as possible their flavor and let them tender. For the preparation of this dish you can use both of the short pasta, which that long. To you and your palate free choice.

Shell the broad beans from the pod and their interior husk. In a pot, add the shelled braod beans, the shallot cut vey thin, salt, fresh ground black pepper (1 teaspoon), oil (1 tablespoon) and 1 glass of water. Let cook for about 20 minues over a low flame. In the meantime, put on the fire the water for the pasta and cook it. Lay down the ewe's ricotta in a soup-tureen and add two spoons of cooking water to dilute the consistence of the ricotta cheese. When the pasta is ready, drain it, pour into the soup-tureen, add the broad beans and fresh ground black pepper (2 teaspoons). Mix the all for well, but with extreme care not to break the broad beans. Now bright to the table and serve it.

I suggest to accompany this dish with a very mild taste with a good white wine dry but fuit.

Doses for 4 people:

- 1 kilogram/2 lb 3 oz of fresh broad beans, small and tender
- 300 grams/ 11 oz of fresh ewe's ricotta cheese
- 400 grams/14 oz of pasta (long or short at your convenience)
- 1 shallot
- 1 tablespoon oil
- salt (for the pasta, about 2/3 tablespoons)
- fresh groun black pepper (3 teaspoons)

Cuccìa

The cuccìa is a Sicilian typical dessert that is prepared on the occasion of the party of Saint Lucy (December 13) during which, according to the tradition, in the Island nobody eats pasta and bread . It's a dessert  really simple to make, however wheat must be soaked for three days before cooking and the water should be changed every 24 hours. This step is fundamental otherwise the grain will remain too hard. There are versions that  prescribe the use of chocolate or cream of milk, but one that I present below is the original recipe made with Ewe's ricotta.



After the grain has been in soak for three days, proceed to cook it in a pot with water and salt (1 spoon and a half). The cooking of the grain will last for several hours, about 6-8, and must happen on a low flame. Alternatively, to shorten the time you can cook the grain in a pressure cooker (in this case the cooking will last about 40-50 minutes). When the grains is ready, remove from the fire and and leave it the whole night in the pot covered by a tea towel. The day later drain it and then dry it well with a tea towel

At this point, start to prepare the ricotta, that must assume the consistence of a cream. Mix together the ricotta with the sugar until the mixture seems like a smooth cream (if you want you can use an electric mixer). Now add the drops of chocolate, the candied fruit cut into small pieces and the cooked grain, stirring delicacy until everything is well amalgamated. Finish garnishing the surface with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder and some candied fruit, such as cherries. Let stand the cake in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving. If you prefer, you can serve cuccìa to your friends in single little cup.

I suggest you to accompany this dessert with the Sicilian sweet liqueurs like Malvasia, Passito, Zibibbo or, for those who prefer a contrasting taste, a dry prosecco.

Doses for 500 grams/1 lb 2 oz of grain:

- 500 grams/1 lb 2 oz of grain (to shorten the times of soaking and cooking, you can use the already cooked grain, but the final taste will be not the same)
- 800 grams/2 lb of Ewe's ricotta
- 400 grams/1 lb granulated sugar
- 100 grams/4 oz of drops of chocolate
- 100 grams/4 oz of candied fruit (cedar, orange, pumpkin and cherries to garnishing)
- cinnamon powder (about 5 teaspoon)
- salt (1 and a half sppon)