Ingredients

450g shelled broad beans (fava beans)
1 carrot, washed and sliced in rounds
1 celery stack, washed and sliced in rounds
3 onions, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
salt
pepper
a bunch of fennel sprigs - the fronds, not the bulb

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, blanch the wild fennel for a few minutes and remove. Set the water aside.

In the meantime, fry the chopped onions in a saucepan with a little olive oil together with the clove of garlic, celery and carrot. When all ingredients turn golden brown, add the broad beans and cover with the hot water in which the wild fennel cooked. 

Stir to combine until you can mash the broad beans with a spoon ("maccare" means to mash in Italian). Once the beans reduce to a cream, add salt and pepper.

Mix well, garnish with a drizzle of oil, some wild fennel, and serve immediately. If desired, accompany the macco di fave with some toasted bread crostini greased in a little oil.