TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Fagioli all'UccellettoTuscan Beans with Tomato and Sage
A classic Tuscan contorno of white beans gently simmered with garlic, sage and tomatoes. A natural companion for grilled beef, peposo, roast pork and other lean or richly fatty meat dishes.
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Cooked cannellini beansDrain; rinse lightly if using canned beans500 g
- Canned whole peeled tomatoesRoughly crush by hand300 g
- Fresh sage8 pieces
- GarlicLightly crush2 cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil40 ml
- Salt5 g
- Black pepper1 g
Method
Prepare the tomatoes, beans and aromatics
- 1 Tip 300 g canned whole tomatoes into a bowl and roughly crush by hand.
- 2 Drain 500 g cannellini beans.
- 3 Lightly crush 2 garlic cloves with the flat of a knife.
Release the garlic and sage aromas
- 1 Put 40 ml extra virgin olive oil, the garlic and 8 sage leaves in a pot over low heat.
Ready when
Proceed when the garlic is pale golden and the sage fragrant.
Reduce the tomatoes to develop sweetness
- 1 Add the crushed whole tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.
Ready when
Proceed when excess water has evaporated, a little oil rises at the edges and the tomatoes smell sweeter.
Simmer the beans in tomato sauce
- 1 Add the cannellini, 5 g salt and 1 g black pepper and gently simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Ready when
It is ready when the beans remain whole, tomato sauce coats their surfaces and the mixture is thick enough to leave a faint line on the pot’s base.
About this dish
Tuscans have long been nicknamed “bean eaters.” White beans were valued as an everyday protein source in times when meat did not always appear on the daily table. Fagioli all’uccelletto is a contorno that expresses this bean culture particularly well.
The name “little-bird style” is said to come from an old way of cooking small birds with sage. No birds are actually included; only the sage aroma preserves the memory of that method. The resourcefulness of a modest table and the memory of meat dishes meet in the same pot.
Around Florence, these beans often accompany robust meat dishes such as grilled beef and peposo and are a standard side in trattorias. Though a plate of beans may look modest, it has an important supporting role for the main course at a Tuscan table.
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