Cannellini beans are an integral part of Tuscan cuisine. Nearly every restaurant we ate in this past summer had some variation on the simple bean dish involving olive oil, black pepper, and rosemary.
Cannellini beans are essentially a white kidney bean, and there are numerous related Tuscan varietals. The schiaccione varietal are common in the north around Lucca. One of our best meals was a Restorante Vipore, just north of the city. The above were described as “farmer’s beans baked in a flask.”
The more desirable varietal from the region is the Sorana, named after the municipality in Tuscany where its grown. Genuine Sorana’s are hard to find, even within Tuscany, particularly since 2002, when the bean gained protected geographical indication (PGI) certification owing to the unique conditions and microclimate where it was grown.
Italians love adding food designations to protect rare foods and create artificial price increases. The same bean grown on the wrong side of an arbitrary line simply cannot receive the designation, and is just a white bean. Fraud is rampant, given the differential in price between cannellini beans and Sorana beans.
Bean King Steve Sando started growing the Sorana varietal in California, branding his the Marcella, after Marcella Hazan, who introduced him to the bean. Since they are not grown in the PGI zone, they cannot bear the name. However, Hazan believed the Sorana bean was the most precious bean grown in Italy, and was quite satisfied with the version grown in California.
It’s a bit ironic of course that Sando went to Italy to find the bean only to bring it back to the United States. Cannellini beans all originated in the Americas and arrived in Europe during the Columbian exchange. They arrived in Tuscany in the 16th century, where they became a staple, particularly among the poor farmers. The healthful benefits associated with beans, and the slow foods movement celebrating local products, have both contributed to a resurgence of beans.
We ordered beans almost every night while eating through Tuscany. Each restaurant brought some variation to the basic recipe, although dominate flavors were always rosemary, and to a lesser extend, black pepper.
So it was inevitable that along the way we would end up with a bag of beans to take home. Dried beans are generally allowed across the border, provided you declare them.
We cooked the the bag to add to soup we made last week, but I only used half the beans leaving just enough leftover beans for a go at recreating the baked Tuscan dish. The beans are very much a side dish, but since I was cooking up bucatini carbonara and didn’t have much else, the beans seemed like an ideal addition.
They had already been cooked with rosemary, but I decided to jazz them up a bit with a little more black pepper and dash of Parmigiano Reggiano and olive oil. I baked them for about ten to fifteen minutes to get a slight crust on the top.
Leftover Tuscan-Style White Beans au Gratin
Ingredients
Half a bag of expensive Italian white beans, cooked
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Black pepper
Rosemary
Olive Oil
Instructions
Cook the beans with rosemary ahead of time
Combine with cheese, oil, pepper, and season
Bake in a ceramic dish for 10 to 15 minutes at 425F
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