Fagioli all'Uccelletto

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Faggioli all'Uccelletto
beans the birds way

In Zita’s pantry you could always find dried red and white beans. She would grow them in her vegetable garden during the summer, pick them at the end of August and placed them out to dry for days under the hot Tuscany sun.

She would then store them in terracotta jars for the winter.
They could be used for many of her recipes; Minestrone, zuppa di cavolo, minestra di fagioli con maiale and many other.
This is her famous side dish called “ fagioli all’uccelletto” (translated it means - beans the birds way-) I really do not know how they got to be called this way, the only thing I can think of is that they are frequently served as a side dish to “ uccelli allo spiedo “, ( small birds, stuffed with sausage and cooked by the heat of the fire).

She would start by soaking the beans in salt water for at least 6 hours (usually she would do this the day before). She would then boil them in salt water, sage and garlic until slightly tender (aldente). Then prepare a mixture of chopped garlic, onions, sage, rosemary and very ripe tomatoes or tomatoe paste, salt and peperoncino or pepper and saute in olive oil, add the beans and some of the water she had boiled them in.
For this recipe she would always use her terracotta stewing pot, she would say that the beans loved the earth, they grew on it, layed in the sun for days on it, got stored in it and they wanted to be cooked in it, so terracotta pot it will be.
Simmer the beans* until tender and most of the water is absorbed, stirring often. This is a fabulous side dish for pork roast, baby ribs, grilled pork chops or any other red meat. You definetly need a strong red wine with them,
buon appetito

For 6 people

3 - 4 cloves of garlic
3 small ripe tomatoe, or 2 spoons of tomatoe paste
5-6 sage leaves
1 large red onion
¾ cup extravergine olive oil
1 cup of the water used to boil the beans
Salt, pepper or peperoncino as needed

*If you are using fresh beans you will need at least 1 and a half Lbs.