Beans with Tuna
Fagioli al Tonno
Region: Italy, Tuscany
Category: Antipasto, Meze, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but long cooking time

In Boccacco's Decameron (9: 8) a group of men sit down for a breakfast of fagioli al tonno and a fritto misto of fish. The "beans and tuna" those thirteenth-century Tuscan companions ate that morning were probably prepared in a manner similar to this recipe. But the beans they ate were chickpeas, fava beans, lupine beans (Lupinus albus), or hyacinth beans (Dolichos lablab syn. Lablab purpurus [L. niger] L.); the cannellini bean and the tomato had not yet arrived from the New World.

This recipe uses the plump little cannellini beans. They can be replaced with chickpeas or fava as well as white haricot, Great Northern, navy, or white kidney beans. This dish is usually served very hot as a first course but I also like to serve it at room temperature with a glass of wine and some bread.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Preparation Time: 2 hours

1 1/2 cups dried white cannellini beans, picked over for stones     1 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves     1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil       Salt to taste     2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped     1/4 cup loosely packed finely chopped fresh basil leaves       Freshly ground black pepper to taste     2 6-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil

1. Place the beans in a large pot, cover with 3 inches of cold water, and add the sage and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and some salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then cook gently over medium- low heat until tender, about 1 to 1 1/ 2 hours, uncovered. Drain.

2. In a large nonreactive skillet, heat the remaining 7 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the garlic cloves, stirring, until they begin to turn light brown, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic from the pan and discard. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Raise the heat to high and cook until slightly thicker, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, and lowering the heat if it splatters too much.

3. Reduce the heat to low, add the drained beans and basil, season with pepper, and simmer, covered, until the beans are hot, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off, add the tuna and its oil, and stir. Let the skillet rest for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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Posted: 01/10/2007