BIGILLA

ABOUT THIS RECIPE

Bigilla lives or dies on two things: properly cooked ful tal-ġirba, and the oil you finish it with. The beans give you the earthiness. The oil gives you everything else — the pepper, the bitterness, the shine. Skimp on the pour and you end up with grey paste.

This makes a generous bowl. It keeps four days in the fridge under a layer of oil.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6 as a dip)

400 g dried ful tal-ġirba (dried broad beans) 6 cloves garlic, 3 whole and 3 finely chopped 2 bay leaves 100 ml Secret Garden Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more to finish 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped 10 g fresh mint leaves, chopped 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or 1 fresh chilli, chopped Juice of ½ lemon Sea salt and black pepper

METHOD

  1. Soak. Cover the beans with cold water by at least 5 cm and leave overnight, minimum 12 hours. They roughly double in size.
  2. Boil. Drain, rinse, and put in a large pot with fresh water, the 3 whole garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then simmer uncovered for 60–90 minutes until the beans are completely soft and starting to break apart. Do not salt yet — it toughens the skins.
  3. Drain, but keep the water. Reserve about 200 ml of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves.
  4. Mash. Remove the whole garlic cloves and mash them into the beans. Work the beans with a potato masher or wooden spoon until you have a coarse, rustic purée. Loosen with the reserved cooking water, a little at a time, until it is thick but spreadable. A blender gives a smoother result but loses the texture — your call.
  5. Season while warm. Beat in the 100 ml of olive oil, the chopped raw garlic, parsley, mint, chilli and lemon juice. Salt and pepper generously, then taste. It almost always needs more salt than you think.
  6. Rest. Leave at least an hour at room temperature so the raw garlic and herbs settle in.
  7. Serve. Spread in a shallow bowl, hollow the centre with the back of a spoon, and pour olive oil into the well until it pools. Crack pepper over the top. Eat with galletti, warm ftira or raw vegetables.

NOTES

Why finish with raw oil: none of it is heated, so the peppery bite and fruitiness of an unfiltered oil come through completely intact. This is the dish that shows off the bottle. Make it ahead. Flavour improves overnight. Add the final oil just before serving. If the beans refuse to soften, they are old. Add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water and give them another 30 minutes.