Stewed Cannellini Beans (Fagioli all’Olio)

It’s hard to imagine that beans were not always part of Florence’s usual repertoire. So ingrained are they in its food culture that Florentines, and Tuscans in general, are known as mangiafagioli (bean eaters). Introduced from the Americas along with tomatoes and potatoes, beans were embraced by the Florentines more than any other ingredient. In fact, Giulio Gandi, in his 1929 book on the characteristic trattorie of Florence writes, ‘Beans are the real traditional dish of the Florentines.’

This very simple preparation produces delicious beans, which can be eaten on their own, as a side dish to accompany grilled steak or roast meats, or used in countless other dishes from fagioli all’uccelleto (beans in tomato sauce) to soups and salads. In Italian Food, Elizabeth David described a similar recipe that she calls ‘Fagioli alla fagiolara’, referring to a specially made terracotta container for cooking beans (her recipe includes rosemary and celery). This recipe is similar to the preparation for fagioli al fiasco, which was traditionally cooked in an old glass flask of Chianti wine, the straw padding around the outside removed and wound up to make a stopper for the top of the flask. The whole thing was left in the warm ashes of a dying fireplace to cook slowly overnight.

As romantic as a terracotta jar or Chianti flask in a fireplace is, you can get a similar result by cooking these beans very, very gently in a heavy casserole dish for several hours in a low oven or on a low flame on the stove top. The slow cooking will reduce the number of broken beans or skins.

Makes 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) cooked beans (see my tips).