Tuscan Diet - Beans

Tuscans have been called "bean eaters" throughout their history, which was actually a fairly derogatory term referring to the fact that Tuscans, for the most part, were poor and beans were (and are) cheap, yet hearty and full of protein and nutrients.

Cannellini beans being mixed into homemade ribollita

Ages ago, soaked beans would be placed in a glass flask with garlic, olive oil and and a little sage, and then placed next to the embers of the household fire overnight (this is called fagioli al fiasco).  These days, it's not much more difficult to cook them.  If you have dried beans, they should be soaked at least 8 hours, so normally I set them to soak overnight (don't leave them for more than 20-24 hours though, or else they might start fermenting).  Drain the beans and then cook them in a generous amount of water (an approximately a 3:1 ratio is what I have been told over the years).  Cooking time will depend on the type of bean, but usually it will take anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour or more.

A way to get around soaking and cooking dried beans is to use canned beans.  It will definitely cut down on your cooking time and there are several good brands of canned beans available.

Fagioli all'Uccelletto

One of our favorite ways to eat beans is a traditional Florentine dish called Fagioli all'Uccelletto (an uccelletto is a little bird, so the name translates to "beans cooked in little bird style").  It's quite simple to make and is a nice hearty dish, often traditionally served with sausage, but we like it all on its own!

Fagioli all'Uccelletto

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin and crushed

8 - 15 fresh sage leaves, stems removed

2 roma tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped fine

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

water

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the garlic and sage.  Cook until garlic is golden brown and sage leaves are crisp.  Add tomatoes and cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the beans.  Add enough water to just cover the beans.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let simmer for 30 minutes or until the beans are very soft and the liquid is mostly gone.  Serve hot.