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ITALIAN RECIPES

Beans, Beans....

Tuscan Tomatoey Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound (500 g) dried canellini (white beans), soaked for 3 hours.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
7-8 leaves of fresh sage
1-2 peeled fresh plum tomatoes or a small can of tomatoes
Boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste
8 Italian link sausages

Preparation:

If you choose to serve Fagiuoli all'Uccelletto with sausages, you'll want freshly made mild Italian sausages, or perhaps a mixture of mild and other kinds (e.g. garlic or pepper-laced), so long as the spiced sausages aren't so strong they'll overpower the beans.

Depending upon the size of the sausages and the appetites of your diners, figure two or more sausages per person.

In any case, begin by boiling the beans until 3/4 done in lightly salted water. This will take about an hour, though you should begin checking them after a half hour. You don't want them to go soft on you.

If you are including sausages, prick their skins lightly with a fork and simmer them in boiling water to cover for 15 minutes to render out some of the fat.
Once the beans are 3/4 done, set the olive oil to heat over a medium flame, in a heavy bottomed clay pot or dutch oven.

When the oil's hot, add the garlic and the sage (not more than seven or eight leaves; too much sage will make the beans bitter). Cook until the sage crackles and the garlic is lightly browned.

Add the tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, then add the beans and bean broth to cover. Season the beans with salt and pepper, add the sausages, and simmer everything until the beans are quite soft, stirring occasionally and adding bean broth as necessary to keep things from drying out.
Serves four, and you will want a tossed green salad with several varieties of radicchio (arugola) to go with it. The wine? A light, zesty Chianti Classico d'Annata.

Baked Beans with Cheese

Ingredients:

1 pound (500 g) cannelloni beans, soaked and boiled only until they're fairly firm, salting the water
Mid-way through the cooking.
3 grains pepper, finely ground
A minced mixture of fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, and mint (between 2 and 4 tablespoons)
A finely sliced onion
Finely sliced pecorino Toscano (or very mild romano)
Olive oil
Toasted slices of Tuscan bread

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C)
Drain the beans, transfer them to an oven-proof dish, dust them with the pepper and herbs, lay the onion and cheese over them, drizzle well with oil, and heat through until the cheese just begins to brown.

Serve the beans over slices of toasted bread.

Beans with Pancetta and Radicchio

Ingredients:

About a pound (400 g) of freshly shelled beans, or a half-pound dried beans, soaked in water over night.
2 bay leaves
1/2 pound (200 g) fresh radicchio, picked with the root (it's long and tapir-like)
4 ounces (100 g) cured lard or pancetta, diced
1/2 a glass of strong red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Boil the beans in salted water to which you have added the bay leaves. When they reach the al dente stage remove them to a colander with a slotted spoon and then put the colander to rest over the water so as to keep them hot.

Wash the radicchio well, removing any dirt that may have stuck to the roots, dry it, and cut each plant into two or four pieces lengthwise, depending upon their size.
Heat a pan and sauté the diced lard until crunchy, then turn of the heat and season it with vinegar, checking salt and pepper too.

Lay some radicchio on each of your plates, spoon some hot beans over each, and season everything with the pork mixture.
It serves 4.

Stewed Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound (450 g) dried borlotti or cranberry beans
Unsalted butter
Olive oil
1/4 pound (100 g) cured lard
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Preparation:

The Italian recipe simply says to set dried borlotti, or cranberry beans, to soak overnight. Set them in a pot of cold water over the fire, and boil them without salt, adding, if need be, more boiling water.

In the meantime take a terracotta pot (cast iron or other will also work) and sauté a mix of unsalted butter, olive oil, and minced cured lard; salt to taste and add some tomato paste diluted in a little water.

Heat the cooked beans through in the mixture for a few minutes, and serve them hot.
In terms of amounts, assuming a pound of beans, I would use 2 tablespoons each unsalted butter and olive oil, and a quarter pound of minced cured lard, or, in its absence, either prosciutto fat or pancetta.

And a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste diluted in water. You can use more if you want, but keep in mind that the dish shouldn't be overly tomatoey.
It serves 4.

Beans in Anchovy Sauce

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds (1 k) fresh beans (about a pound when shelled)
6 salted anchovies (or 12 anchovy filets), rinsed and boned
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced parsley
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
A scant half cup of olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Shell the beans and boil them until tender. Heat the olive oil, garlic and parsley in a pot, and cook, stirring, until the garlic has browned.
Then remove and discard the garlic, and stir in the anchovies. Add the vinegar and simmer, stirring, for about 3 minutes.

In the meantime transfer the cooked beans from the pot to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Pour the sauce over them and serve; they'll also be good cool.
It serves 4.

Buon appetito!

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