Tuscan Beans

The Italian name is Fagioli a l’Ucelletto and I got it out of a little Italian cookbook. When I say “little cookbook”, I mean it literally – it’s a physically tiny cookbook from Chronicle Books' "Little Cookbooks" series. I had forgotten about this dish until something reminded me of it recently so I whipped it up as an accompaniment to pork chops. It goes great with any grilled meat and can act as a starch, a vegetable or both, but regardless it’s nice to have a salad or a green vegetable along with it.

"Little" Cookbook (cat shown for scale)

The ingredient list is straightforward: Cannelini beans (aka white kidney beans) – canned are fine, Progresso are widely available. Rinse off the smelly, gooey liquid they’re packed in before using. Tomatoes – canned diced or crushed are preferred but be sure to use a good brand like Muir Glen, Progresso or San Marzano. Rosemary – The official recipe calls for sage but I prefer minced fresh rosemary. If you don’t have fresh, which would be a big bummer, use sage (preferably fresh), thyme (fresh or dried), or fresh basil. Then go out and plant rosemary somewhere in your yard or the local park because the dried rosemary needles aren’t the same. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – don’t use the really expensive stuff – save it for dipping bread or serving at the table. Filippo Berio or Bertoli are fine. DaVinci is one of the best supermarket brands. Garlic – minced or pressed. If you don’t like garlic or want something milder use shallots. Saute the garlic or shallots in a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet until soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes (a little of the juice is fine), the beans and the rosemary. It only needs to simmer for a 15 minutes or so. You want the beans to heat through, the tomatoes to mellow, the excessive liquid to cook off and the flavors to meld. Add salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil to taste and don’t be niggardly with any of them, especially the olive oil. I like it best when you can see the green of the olive oil when you serve it up. Make a lot so you have leftovers because I discovered an additional use for them. I find Mexican breakfasts made with eggs and beans to be very satisfying as well as delicious. There’s something about the flavor and consistency of the earthy beans and eggs in the morning that tastes just right. I used this principle one morning with this cannelini dish. I fried an egg in a heavy amount of extra virgin olive oil, which gave it a beautiful, golden under crust, removed it to a plate and then heated up the cannelini dish in the same pan. I served the beans with the fried egg on top and it not only tasted really good but it kept me going for hours.