Fagioli all’Uccelletto-Tuscan tomato beans
Tuscan bean stew, “beans in little birds style”
Beans are a legume used in many Tuscan dishes. There is a famous saying .” Fiorentin mangia fagioli leccapiatti e romaioli”,i.e. Florentine people are bean-eaters, dish and ladles lickers
Beans are cooked in various ways in Tuscany, and different varieties are grown, although the classic cannellini beans have always held pride of place.
The dish we’re suggesting today is probably the most famous, found in every restaurant and common in Tuscan families: fagioli all’uccelletto.
But why “all’uccelletto”? Certainly not because they’re cooked with the birds.
Some suggest the name may derive from the mischievousness of the Tuscans, who originally called this dish “fagioli all’uccelletto scappato” (beans with escaped bird), perhaps to poke fun at a humble dish.
Others maintain that sage and garlic, two of the ingredients, were often used to cook game meat.
And let’s look at these ingredients: cannellini beans, oil, garlic, tomato, salt, pepper, and sage.
Various stories and legends about cannellini beans tell us that it was Catherina de’ Medici who introduced them to France. Others, combining historical and traditional information, add that she even grew white beans in her gardens. The seeds were given to her by Alessandro de’ Medici when she married Henry II, obtaining various varieties, including cannellini beans, which she called “toscanelli.”
BEANS ALL’UCCELLETTO
Serves 4
Ingredients
dried cannellini beans, 300 gr.=1.5 cup
peeled tomatoes, 300 gr. =1.2 cup
2 garlic cloves,
sage, 5 /10 leaves
extra virgin olive oil,3 tbsp.
salt and pepper
Procedure
Soak the beans overnight and boil them over very low heat in salted water, then let them cool in the cooking water.
In a pan, sauté the crushed garlic cloves with their skins and a few sage leaves in 3 tablespoons of oil.
Before the garlic browns, add the drained, warm beans; season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Finally, add the tomatoes and cook slowly for about half an hour, stirring with a wooden spoon only a couple of times. The beans should be thick but not mushy.
Serve them still warm, with a drizzle of EVOO.
Fagioli all’uccelletto are an excellent accompaniment to stewed tripe and sausages. They can be made with either peeled or canned beans; the important thing is that the beans are cooked thoroughly, not floury or skinless.
Tips: You can use borlotti beans or Sorana beans.
You can add sausage and chili pepper.
This dish pairs beautifully with meat or seafood, but it also pairs well with vegetable dishes.
Everyone will be satisfied!
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