Fave e Pecorino

We’ve been nostalgic for Rome lately. Perhaps its recent birthday has gotten us thinking about it. Or, maybe it’s been on our minds because we’re planning a visit this July and are eager to see friends and family and to return to some of our favorite places.

When we miss Rome, we find ourselves craving some of its best food. Last week it was the classic Roman pasta dish, cacio e pepe. Today it was saltimbocca alla romana, which we will write about on Due Spaghetti as soon as we can find veal scallopini that make the grade. (Who knew that good veal would be so hard to come by?)

With April coming to an end, we couldn’t help venturing out in search of another Roman springtime classic, fresh fava beans, to eat alongside Pecorino romano cheese on May 1st.

In Italy, like in much of the rest of the world, May 1st is a holiday – International Workers’ Day, or Labor Day as it is called Stateside and elsewhere. In Rome, tradition calls for a May 1st scampagnata (a picnic in the countryside) with friends, and fave e Pecorino romano, with a glass of chilled white wine, are always part of the day.

In many towns just outside of Rome, they celebrate the Sagra delle Fave e del Pecorino. A sagra is a town festival, often dedicated to a food that is native to the region, so it is fitting that several towns near Rome hold a sagra for fava beans and Pecorino.

It is the simplest of meals – just fresh fava beans, authentic Pecorino Romano cheese, and a glass of your favorite wine. Many traditionalists call for red wine, but in our family it’s always been white. Pop open the pod by running your finger along the seam that runs lengthwise up the bean, or break the pod and scoop the bean out from inside. There’s no need to peel the bean – just pop it in your mouth, follow with a bite of Pecorino, and conclude with a sip of wine. Buon Primo Maggio!