Kusksu

Since broad beans are in season I thought of posting the recipe of this lovely and easy soup. This Maltese dish is sometimes confused with the North African couscous since the pasta resembles the very coarse couscous.

Ingredients (for 2 persons)



1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato puree
300g fresh broad beans
50g kusksu pasta (available from all supermarkets)
700 ml of water
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil


(Optional)
1 egg
some ricotta
2 gbejniet (Maltese cheeselets)

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil, add the tomato paste and fry a few minutes longer, then add the broad beans. These should be podded and if preferred the individual skins of the beans could also be removed. Once the onions achieve that golden colour add the water to cover and cook gently for about half an hour until the onion is cooked and the beans not quite tender. Add the kusksu and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes. Stir frequently as kusksku pasta tends to stick to the pan. Cover and turn off the heat and leaver for about 10 minuts. To make a complete meal out of this soup add an egg, fresh gbejniet (Maltese cheeselets) and even some rikotta.

Kusksu can be made with frozen beans but the final result won't be as good as the one made from fresh veggies.