Fagioli all'Uccelletto

This is one of my favorite Tuscan recipes.

I hadn't heard of it before my Tuscan mentioned it to me one evening when I told him that I was planning to make Pasta e Fagioli for dinner that night.  He said, "you should try to make Fagioli all'Uccelletto!  I love it!"

Well, if my Tuscan loves it, I'm pretty certain I will love it too.  And since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to give it a try.

This is a super easy, healthy recipe.  I tend to eat it as a meal in itself, but you can use it as a side dish.

First, get your ingredients ready.

Peel two cloves of garlic and slice them fairly thin.  Then take the blade of the knife and crush them a bit.

You'll need a few fresh sage leaves.  I usually use 12 to 15 leaves, depending on their size and my mood.  I love sage.  You may decrease the amount of leaves, but I don't suggest going under 8 leaves.  

Wash the leaves, remove the stems and pat them dry.

Peel, de-seed and chop two Roma tomatoes finely.

Place a heavy pot over medium heat and add 1/4 cup (approximately 60 mL) of extra-virgin olive oil.

When the oil gets hot, add the garlic...

...and the sage.

Let it cook for a few minutes, stirring is every so often, until the garlic turns a golden brown and the sage leaves are crisp.

Then, add the tomatoes and let them cook for a couple minutes.

 

Add the drained and rinsed cannellini beans...

...and then add some water to one of your empty cans of beans (there can still be some bean goop in there when you add the water) and add enough of that water to just cover the beans.

Season with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then let simmer for about 30 minutes.  (The beans will be very soft when it is ready and it will not be as "wet".)

Serve hot alone or as a side dish.  Buon appetito! 

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.