Chef Graziella
Fagioli all'Olio
White beans dressed with nothing but the finest olive oil, salt, and pepper. This is Tuscan cooking reduced to its essence, where there is nowhere to hide and quality is everything.
Culinary Explorer
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Fagioli all'Uccelletto
Created by
The beans of Tuscany, braised with sage and tomato in the manner used for small game birds. Four ingredients, no complications, and the quiet confidence of food that needs nothing more.
Side Dishes
Italian, Tuscan
Comfort Food
Weeknight
15 min
Active Time
1 hr 30 min cook•1 hr 45 min total
Yield6 servings
The name tells you everything and nothing. 'Uccelletto' means 'little bird,' and Tuscans season their beans the same way they season the small game birds that once filled the hillsides: sage, garlic, tomato, and good olive oil. The birds are mostly gone now. The beans remain.
This is not a complicated dish. It cannot be, because Tuscan cooking does not permit complication. You cook dried beans until tender. You soften garlic in olive oil with sage leaves until fragrant. You add tomatoes and let everything simmer together until the sauce clings to the beans. That is all.
What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. There is no onion here. No celery. No carrot. The soffritto that anchors so much Italian cooking has no place in this dish. The beans must taste of beans, the sage must perfume without overwhelming, and the tomato exists only to bind everything together. Restraint, not addition, creates the flavor.
Fagioli all'uccelletto became a Tuscan staple only after cannellini beans arrived from the Americas in the 16th century. The Tuscans, whom other Italians mock as 'mangiafagioli' (bean eaters), embraced the new legume so completely that within two generations it anchored their cuisine. The 'bird-style' seasoning predates the beans themselves, having been used for centuries on the small game birds that Tuscan hunters brought home.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried cannellini beans
Quantity
1 pound
soaked overnight and drained
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/3 cup
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
peeled and lightly crushed
fresh sage leaves
Quantity
8-10
San Marzano tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried cannellini beanssoaked overnight and drained | 1 pound |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/3 cup |
| garlic clovespeeled and lightly crushed | 4 |
| fresh sage leaves | 8-10 |
| San Marzano tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large pot for cooking beans
- •Wide 12-inch skillet or braiser
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Cook the beans
Place the drained beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by three inches. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to maintain the laziest bubble. Cook until the beans are tender but hold their shape, about one hour to one hour fifteen minutes. The timing depends on the age of your beans. Older beans take longer. Taste one. It should be creamy throughout with no chalky center.
Never salt beans during cooking. Salt toughens the skins and prevents the interior from becoming properly tender. You will salt them later, after they have cooked. - 2
Drain and reserve
When the beans are tender, drain them, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid. Set both aside. The starchy bean water will help create the proper sauce consistency later.
- 3
Infuse the oil
In a wide, heavy skillet or braiser, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and sage leaves. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is pale gold and the sage leaves have crisped slightly at the edges, about 3 minutes. The garlic must not brown. If it begins to color too quickly, reduce the heat immediately.
The garlic here is a whisper, not a shout. You are infusing the oil with its essence, not creating a garlic sauce. If the garlic browns, it becomes bitter and acrid. Start over if this happens. - 4
Add tomatoes
Add the hand-crushed tomatoes to the skillet, including their juices. Stir to combine with the infused oil. Let the tomatoes simmer for 5 minutes, breaking them up further with a wooden spoon, until they begin to thicken and lose their raw edge.
- 5
Braise the beans
Add the drained beans to the tomato mixture. Stir gently to coat them without crushing. Add half the reserved bean cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and let the beans simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. The sauce should reduce and cling to the beans. Add more bean liquid if it becomes too dry before the flavors have melded.
Stir gently and not too often. You want the beans to hold their shape. This is not a puree. Each bean should remain intact, coated in sauce. - 6
Rest and serve
Remove the skillet from heat and let the beans rest for 10 minutes. They will absorb more sauce as they cool slightly. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a warm serving bowl. Drizzle with a thread of fresh olive oil if you wish. Serve warm, not hot, alongside grilled meats or as part of an antipasto spread.
Chef Tips
- •Dried beans are not optional here. Canned beans will feed you, but they will not give you the texture and flavor of beans you have cooked yourself. The starchy cooking liquid is essential to the sauce.
- •Fresh sage is required. Dried sage tastes of dust and disappointment. If you cannot find fresh sage, make a different dish.
- •This is a contorno, a side dish, not a main course. Serve it alongside bistecca alla fiorentina or grilled sausages. Or serve it at room temperature as part of an antipasto, with bread to soak up the sauce.
- •The dish improves after resting for an hour at room temperature. The beans continue to absorb the sage-scented tomato sauce. Reheat gently if needed, adding a splash of water.
Advance Preparation
- •Beans can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated in their cooking liquid. Drain and reserve the liquid before proceeding.
- •The finished dish keeps refrigerated for three days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding water as needed. The sauce thickens considerably when cold.
- •Fagioli all'uccelletto is traditionally served at room temperature. You may make it several hours ahead and leave it, covered, on the counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
345 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
11 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
460 mg
Total Carbohydrates
42 g
Dietary Fiber
11 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
16 g
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