Kusksu is a delicious soul-warming soup which features three of the most traditional and popular ingredients on the Island: broad beans, kunserva (a sweet-and-sour tomato spread) and gbejna (fresh goat’s milk cheese).
The name of the dish comes from the particular pasta which is used in this recipe.
Kusksu is made from coarsely ground semolina and water. Compared to the more familiar North African style of couscous, which is very small and light, kusksu is larger and more toothsome.
The only other place where I could see and eat this pasta is Italy, as both Sicily and Sardina have it. In the latter region in particular, it is called fregola and it has a nutty taste as it is roasted.
It is an late winter/early-spring soup because that is when fresh broad beans are in season. However, Maltese loves making this soup in winter too, by using frozen broad beans.
I love this dish, a perfect balanced meal which includes vegetables, carbs and proteins.
This is my version of this traditional Maltese recipe. I hope you will love it 🙂
Ingredients
- 2000 mlhot water
- 500 gshelled broad beans
- 150 gpasta, durum wheat flour, boiled in distilled water, no salt
- 4gbejniet
- 2carrots
- 2 spoonsMaltese kunserva (tomato paste concentrate)
- 2eggs
- 2 leavesbay leaf
- 2 spoonsextra-virgin olive oil
- 1onion
- 1big potato
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1 clovegarlic
- q.s.ground pepper
- q.s.grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Preparation
– slice the onion and the garlic clove finely and put them in a pot with the salt and 2 spoons of extra virgin olive oil, mix well;
– peel the carrots and the potato, chop them in small cubes and put the, into the pot too;
– put the pot on the fire and cook over medium heat;
– as soon as the onion starts to fry, cover the pot with its lid and put the minimum flame;
– let the vegetables to stew in their own liquid, then add the broad beans and mix well for a few seconds;
– pour the hot water until the beans are completely covered with three fingers of water of the top;
– add the kunserva them mix well, add the bay leaves too;
– adjust the flame to medium and cook for about 15 minutes;
– open the eggs onto the boiling soup and poach them, then remove them and keep them aside;
– add the pasta, 1 minute before it is cooked add the gbjeneit;
– remove the pot form the stove and put the poached eggs back into the soup;
– serve topped with some ground pepper
– optional: top with some grated Parmesan cheese
Hi Pietru😃
This recipe is very interesting and I intend to try it soon – but I was wondering whether the pasta has to be cooked separately in boiling water or directly in the soup.
Hi! The pasta is cooked directly in the soup at the end 🙂
Hi,
I think that 500g shelled broad beans is too much for 2 persons, considering there are the carrots and the potatoes.
Maybe you meant 500 g broad beans with the shell/pod.
I find this recipe interesting and I am actually preparing for today’s lunch 😃.
Regards
V.A.
Hi! I actually meant 500g shelled. They are good generous portions (as we like it at home!) Thanks for your nice comments 🙂