Fagioli all’uccelletto: Tuscan cannellini beans with tomato and sage
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Fagioli all’uccelletto (Tuscan beans with tomato and sage)
In Tuscany this dish is called fagioli all’uccelletto, “beans cooked like little birds,” after the garlic and sage traditionally used to cook small game birds. Cannellini beans are much nicer! Slowly simmered in fresh tomato and finished with a swirl of raw olive oil, they’re Tuscan comfort food at its best.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 250 g (9 oz) dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water
- A few small pieces of kombu seaweed (optional)
- 650 g (1½ lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 10 sage leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Drain the soaked beans and cover them with fresh water. Don’t add salt. Add the seaweed, if using, to make them easier to digest.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 1½ hours, until the beans are tender but not mushy. A pressure cooker saves time.
- Heat a good swirl of olive oil in a pot with the garlic and sage, and fry gently.
- When the garlic just starts to color, add the tomatoes and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the drained beans and cook over low heat for another 20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and coats the beans thickly. Season with salt.
- Serve with more raw olive oil swirled on top.
Notes
Remember to put the beans to soak the night before.
No fireworks here, just a wonderful, humble countryside dish. I had no dried cannellini beans on hand, so I soaked some of my fabas (from Asturias) and it worked out fine. Sage from my garden, tomatoes from my CSA farmer.
As good as this tastes right now in the slowly cooling pot, I bet it’s going to taste even better the second day!