This is my very favorite bean dish. It works especially well with the large white “Aztec” beans that some of us grow on our plots, dried or fresh. It might be even more delicious with borlotti beans, if that is possible. It serves 2 or 3 people.
- A cup of dried beans, or about 2 cups of fresh ones.
- Half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Six fresh sage leaves, or a sprig of sage blossoms
- A small dried chili pepper, crumbled
- Four good cloves of garlic, crushed
- Salt and black pepper
- A 400g tin of tomatoes or about four fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped.
If you are using dried beans, soak them overnight and drain. Boil the beans until they are nice and tender. Drain them.
Get about half the oil hot and simmer the sage, chili, and garlic in it for a minute or two, then add the beans and fry them all together for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and simmer it all for about 30 minutes. Top up with water if it gets too thick.
Season to taste, then pour the rest of the olive oil over the top and serve. Do not be tempted to skimp on the olive oil!
I like it with steamed brown rice, but my wife prefers it with mashed potatoes. If you manage to have any left the next day, try Tuscan Beans on toast. Sublime!
I found the original version of this recipe in a wonderful little book called The Goodness of Beans, Peas and Lentils by John Midgley. It is full of great things to do with beans. Any of the recipes that use cannellini or haricot beans are even better with Aztec beans.
from Joe Foster