Baked beans

Fagioli all’uccelletto is one of the classics of Florentine tradition, which in its simplicity reveals a masterful combination of flavors. The origin of the definition “all’uccelletto” remains a mystery: the most likely hypothesis is that it refers to the presence of sage, a must-have ingredient for cooking birdies. We reproduce below a memory that testifies to this derivation.

” Father returned all triumphant that evening. To us who, meekly, questioned him, he said, “A big one and two little ones,” and from his hunter’s pocket he pulled out a thrush and two little birds, which he laid proudly on the marble table. It was already dark outside, and we boys looked and touched the little birds, which had feathers of many colors and beaks that were always different; meanwhile, Father, sitting in front of the fire, cleaned and greased his rifle, telling how difficult that shot had been in the thick “bush.” Doing little damage to the wildlife, Father would shoot all afternoon in the woods between Colle, Malocchio and Cozzile with a twenty-gauge single-barreled shotgun, a “truncheon” because it folded up like a compass, with no dog or decoys. Often on his return he would say, “It went bad” or “There’s nothing,” sometimes bringing back a few chestnuts or some mushrooms. But that time it had gone well, so the next evening we ate refried beans a l’uccelletto. ” (from an account by P.A. Mazzei).

Beans all’uccelletto recipe

Preparation time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients:
800g cannellini beans (300g if dry)
A tuft of sage
3 cloves’ garlic
Olive oil
Chili pepper
5 ripe tomatoes

Preparation:
Boil the beans with the addition of a tablespoon of oil (if they are dry, soak them for 2 hours), turning them off “al dente.” In a saucepan – tradition has it made of earthenware, but steel is also fine – with 6 tablespoons of oil sauté garlic and sage and throw in the peeled tomatoes in pieces. Let retreat about 10 minutes over medium heat, turning with a ladle. Add the beans with some of the cooking water. Simmer over a gentle heat for 15 minutes, dosing salt if you like, a little chili pepper. When serving, season with a drizzle of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Interestingly, Artusi (who puts the beans first and the tomatoes second in his recipe) also recommends them as an ante litteram main course. These beans lend themselves very well as a side dish to boiled meat, if you don’t want to eat them alone.

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