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.
All photos and original text copyright: Ilva Beretta 2005-2011. If you re-post a recipe, please give credit and link to recipe on this site. About photos, please contact me. (luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com)
12 comments:
I have become the a bad blogger because I either forget or I don't have the time to answer your comments but that does not mean that I don't read or appreciate them, quite the opposite really. The generosity that shines through what you write and the fact that you take the time to comment on my posts makes my blogging worthwhile so Thank You for what you do for me and please keep on commenting!