TUSCAN BEAN STEW OR FAGIOLI ALL’UCCELLETTO
Cold weather has hit us and I wish I could wear mittens when I write this because the indoor temperature in our house goes straight down when icy winds are keeping it prey. Fortunately the wind is no longer but that doesn’t help us really, once the temperature is down, we’re stuck there. At least I get a lot of stuff ironed because that is such an excellent way to warm up still little fingers.
The other day, I got a request in a comment for the recipe for fagioli all’uccelletto or what could be called Tuscan Bean Stew and I was very surprised to find that I never have posted the recipe of it in my over four years of blogging because it is such a typical winter dish here. There are small variations of course but on the whole it is made with white cannelini beans, tomatoes, sage, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. It is often served or cooked with salsicce and that is such a great dish to eat on a cold, windy winter’s day when you need to get warm and to feel comfortable. THis is one of those dishes that I have problems with in the sense I can’t stop, one forkful follows another and I don’t feel that my stomach is completely full, I suppose it is one of my glutton dishes! So annannan, here is your Christmas wish come true because I hope this is the dish you asked for!
TUSCAN BEAN STEW OR FAGIOLI ALL’UCCELLETTO
400 g/ 14,1 oz cannellini beans, cooked al dente
400 g/ 14,1 oz tomatoes, chopped
a sprig of sage leaves
1 clove of garlic, slightly crushed
a little chilli pepper, optional
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
- There are two schools of when to add sage and garlic, one adds them straight away to the oil, the other waits until the beans are added to the tomatoes. I do the in-between, I let the garlic cook a little in the oil before I add the chopped tomatoes and add the sage later on.
- After a couple of minutes, add the tomatoes to the garlic and leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt as well. I add a little chilli pepper because I like it but not too much, there should just be a faint echo of it.
- Add the beans and the sage and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve as a side dish or with salsicce.
I like this recipe, very simple. Why don’t you buy some fingerless gloves, that way you can write or type …. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Fingerless-Gloves-Purple-Stripe/dp/B001CGU6WS/ref=sr_1_12/278-0074616-7965265?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1260968695&sr=8-12
I had to look up what “salsicce” was – a type of sausage right?
This is the perfect time of year for beans. I order heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo – so fresh, and so tasty!
Ooh, I just figured out how to get my photo up here. How neat
It is – thank you! It looks great, although too tomatoey for the person I cook and eat with, so I will have to work on that. But cooking the beans al dente apart is probably the key thing I missed in previous attempts. That way you can work on the taste and texture of the sauce without having to worry about beans being still raw alternatively overcooked.
Ska jag laga idag när jag inte vill ta ut bilen och köra iväg pga läskigt snöväder. Vad bra! Det enda jag saknar är goda italienska korvar. Tror jag får lägga upp ett lager i frysen. Kan man frysa dem, btw? Det borde väl gå? kram
What a warming stew! I love beans and this is great! And I tried typing in my gloves yesterday but had to give up. Fingers froze, but at least i wrote my post!
Yum. I forgot to buy a pot of sage at the market though. I need to go there again this Friday and buy some missing herbs.
Looks like the perfect dish to have on a cold day like it is here in NYC. Stay warm.
Paz
This recipe has been on my mind lately too. Or at least a fagioli has been. I made this last night. It was great. Once again you have been a great inspiration.
I love the tree photo. The lines and the story are compelling.
Tress living in more moderate climates tolerate the pruning techique. There they have more growing season to produce leaf surface…energy.
I suspect the same is true of people.
This and the white cannelini beans with spinach are why cannelini beans are grow as far as I’m concerned … but then I am a bean lover.
The chef in my favorite Marin restaurant (Poggio) has a custom: porchetta on Monday nights in the wintertime, with the beautiful beans you featured today — perfect for cold weather. He also has an inexpensive Chianti he serves by the half-carafe with it. Very cozy.