The main lessons I learnt on my trip last month to Italy with Cirio were that less is more, and cook quality ingredients simply. Buying the cheapest ingredients can indeed be a false economy, and it is a matter of knowing what to spend on and what to save on.
The classic Tuscan dish of Fagioli all’uccelletto – beans in tomato sauce, is a prime example of a frugal, but delicious dish – by buying a premium tomato such as Cirio frugal beans are made into something really rather special, and a frugal meal becomes a treat rather than a penance.
We ate these beans in Osteria dal 1931 in Trastevere, Rome. I am sure that my version is not that authentic, but certainly carries the spirit and sentiment of the original.
A few notes on cooking beans – I far prefer to cook my beans from dried, they taste far superior, packets of dried beans are cheaper and easier to transport home from the supermarket than tins. I soak overnight and then gently simmer the beans, either on the hob or in the slow cooker. I find that with a fast boil that the beans can go from hard to mush very fast, or the inside cooks and expands whist the skin is still tight causing the beans to split. When soaking beans I place the beans in a bowl, add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, cover with boiling water and soak overnight. Before cooking drain, rinse and cook in fresh water. You can, if you run out of time, freeze the soaked beans and finish cooking them another time. With an overnight soak and the bicarb treatment I find that all dried beans and pulses cook really fast (about 20 minutes for chickpeas – but timings will vary according to how old the beans are).
I really recommend making a big batch of this and freezing some. As with all these type of dishes it is immeasurably better when left to get cold and then reheated. Serve with some hot dogs!
Fagioli all’uccelletto - beans in tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 200 g dried beans – I used pinto (a dried white bean is more Tuscan and would work just as well)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbs good olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- A few fresh sage leaves (or a pinch of dried herbs)
- 540 g bottle Cirio passata
- 70 g pot Cirio tomato puree
Instructions
- The night before you make the dish place the beans and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set to one side and allow to soak overnight.
- Drain the beans and rinse well. Put into a large saucepan, cover with boiling water and let them simmer until three quarters done – so the outside of the bean is soft, but the centre is still chalky, this will take between 20 – 40 minutes depending on the type and size of bean. Drain and rinse, reserving a cup of the cooking water.
- Whilst the beans are cooking gently heat the garlic and herbs in the olive oil, in a large frying pan, you want them to infuse rather than cook.
- Add the passata (rinse the bottle out with a splash of the bean soaking water), puree to the pan and the beans, stir, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook on the lowest heat for about an hour until the beans are tender, add some of the bean cooking water during this time if needed.
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a liberal sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper.
I am so impressed with the Cirio passata, thick, silky smooth and richly flavoured it is delicious straight from the bottle, and would make a very good base for a bloody Mary too. It comes in plastic bottles, so if you only use half a bottle simply put the lid back on and pop into the freezer until you next need some.
Fuss Free Flavours was commissioned by Cirio to travel to Italy on a journey to discover the #TrueItalian food. All opinions are my own.
Jane Willis
A slow cooker beef curry
Katie Corr
a delicious spaghetti bolognese
Vicki Macdonald
A lasagne
Emily @amummytoo
Beautiful and definitely takes me back to our Italian adventures! Lovely for a veggie like me too. My husband would probably add bacon :)
Helen
I did add bacon when we ate it last night!
Heather Haigh
A spicy veg casserole.
liz denial
I’d use it in virtually everything, lasagne, chilli, pasta bake
Amelia Kennedy
Quorn chilli for me!
Natasha B
I would make an amazing spagbol :)
winnie
Russian Borscht
liz
A homemade pizza margherita
laura banks
chilli con carne
Jan Beal
A mediterranean bean dish made with onions, tinned tomatoes butter beans and mint. Gorgeous hot or cold!!
Leah Wheatley
Thank you for the recipie
Tracy Nixon
Lasagne!
angela sandhu
I use a lot of tomatoes in curries so that is what I would use it for if I won x
Neil H
Chilli – nice and hot !
sarah clarke feltham
Spaghetti Bolognese
Tracey Belcher
A lovely Rogan Josh :)
kim neville
a nice Lasagne
Laura B
Chilli Con Carne :)
Jean Bolsover
One of the family’s favourites, Spaghetti Bolonese :)
elaine dale
spaghetti Bolognese would go down well
melanie stirling
Quorn bolognese and chilli.
claire toplis
slow cooker pulled pork
Tracey Gwynne
I would make some spicy pizza base sauces
Andrew Petrie
Spaghetti Bolognese
sue hodges
lasagna
Katie w
Spaghetti bolognese yummy
Hazel Rea
I like to cook white fish in a tomato, basil and garlic sauce so I would start with that.
Lyn Bosomworth
chicken curry mmm
Val Hartley
Tomato soup
Sally Lea
Spaghetti putanesca
Lorraine Tinsley
A nice ratatouille
Rikka B
A veggie lasagne
Sarahann Tonner
Lasagne :)
Vikki R
Chilli non-carne :)
IRENE BOLTON
Meatballs and Spaghetti
frances hopkins
Spag bol x
paul jackson
chilli con carne
Mike
Its Lasagne for me
Amy
A creamy lasagne!
Su Tyler
My tomato and pepper sauce.
jennifer thorpe
pasta bolognese
Maxine
I’d make a caponata with aubergines, tomatoes, capers and olives
Sharon Griffin
spaghetti bolognese
foz
Lasagne
Susie Anderson
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Elizabeth
I would try your recipe first. It sounds lovely and simple. I find that the Italian names for dishes make it sound so much more posh and exotic than the English version. Beans in tomato sauce doesn’t sound very exciting, but it looks fantastic and your words make me want to eat it right up!
Helen
Thank you ELizabeth. This recipe is a keeper, and could also be used as a pasta sauce too.
Catherine Amaro
lasagne
Mary Chez
spaghetti bolognese
Alexandra Mercer (Life of mummy)
Sausage casserole
Judith Allen (@JudeVFR400)
Garlicky mushroom and tomato sauce for pasta. Simple and very yummy.
Emma Nixon
A lasagne
Lynsey Buchanan
spaghetti Bolognese
Amy Ripley
spaghetti bolognaise!
Stuart Vettese
As I’m part Italian this screams comfort to me!!
Felicity kelly
Tuna pasta bake yum
Catherine McAlinden
Spicy veggie chilli
Lisa Pepper
Pasta with tomato sauce and olives, with a bit of grated cheese on top, nomnomnom :)
julie laing
Tomato soup for me
Sarah Morris
Spaghetti Bolognese, I crave it after a few weeks of not having it.
Vivien Baird
Spaghetti Bolognese
Ritchie Dee
Ragu
Jill Webb
lasagne the family favourite
Judy
I would use them in a vegetable curry.
Franglais kitchen, Nazima
ooh a lovely idea this beany tomato stew is perfect comfort fare.
Maya Russell
I’d cook a bolognese sauce.
William Gould
Two main dishes – Chilli and an old stew recipe involving layer of meat, onions, carrots and potatoes with chopped tomatoes!
stephanie Llewellyn
lasagne
Stephanie Tsang
I would make lasagna.
tamalyn roberts
spahetti bolognese
Peak Lee
Lasagne
Hester McQueen
Spaghetti bolognese
Mark Palmer
Lasagne
EMMA WALTERS
perfect for making pizza sauce :)
Lorraine Polley
would use them in Chilli con carne
Carys Jones
Bolognese using Quorn mince.
sarah birkett
spaghetti bolognese, not exciting but always popular
lynn savage
I would make a fab tomato based chilli
Christine Shelley
a Spaghetti Bolognese , my families favourite
Victoria
bolognese
Matt Froggatt
spaghetti bolognese
Hayley
A veggie lasagne :)
Caroline H
I’d love it in a spicy veggie rogan josh.
cathyj
use a basis for a home made pasta sauce
Angela Wheeler
I use it as a base for red sauce for lasagne
Sheila Reeves
Gazpacho – I have used tinned tomatoes when there aren’t enough good flavoured fresh ones, useful for a quick meal too.
Jeff Wolf
I love pasta dishes, so something like a classic lasagne.
Sarah Maison Cupcake
Oh if only Ted would eat beans of any variety :-(. I can’t complain because he isn’t remotely fussy but he simply refuses to eat beans or pulses of any variety hence we don’t eat as many as a family as we otherwise would.
Lani Nash
A good chilli I think!
Julia Nicholls
Many different dishes, but particularly as a base of a pasta sauce.
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet
Oh, so it’s like the Italian version of British baked beans? Looks good!
cecelia allen
A lovely home made BBQ sauce using Tinned tomatoes, red onion, garlic, honey, mustard, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and a dash of curry powder
George Worboys Wright
Huevos Rancheros is our favourite thing to make with Cirio tomatoes at the moment!
Robyn Logan Clarke
Arabiatta sauce with penne and pecorino
taja mckenzie
Italian Sausage tomato Soup
Benji Collier
Tomato soup, my favourite!
Corina
My spicy tomato pasta.
kellyjo walters
spag bowl
Solange
A lasagne
Leona S Fisher
A lovely spag bol!
Rich Tyler
A Beautiful Bolognese :)
Teresa Lee
Spaghetti bolognese
Susan Joyce Rogers
Spaghetti bolognaise
Daphne Mueller
beef goulash
Ashleigh Allan
lasagne!
esme mccrubb
chilli con carne
michelle bennett
I would be quite boring and make a spagetti bolognase. Firm family favourite.
Becca Staples
A nice spaghetti bolognese x
Terence Raymond Lewis
Spaghetti Bolognese
faye huntington
lasagne!! so yummy! faye x
Barbara Handley
Spaghetti Bolognese
sonal
homemade fresh pizza
Laura Murray
Ooh a nice hearty chilli :)
Joy Lawson
Meatballs, yum
LESLEY BRADLEY
A hot n spicy beef chilli
katie skeoch
a fabulous minestrone
Janet Dring
A lovely Quorn lasagne
Abigail Cullen
A bolognese
Jayne T
A veggie bolognese.
Lynn
gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Jenni Vento
A curry! :)
Katherine L
I’d love to reduce the sauce and use it on pizza!
Kiran Parry
Lasagne
sam fernley
I would use it to make a spicy Moroccan dish with lots of veggies and baked eggs in it.
Neil Graham
A chilli in the slow cooker
elaine dale
spaghettii bolognese omelette
Chas Gilbert
Put it on Macaroni Cheese
Irene Wright
Tomatoes are the most versatile product in my cooking cupboard. Use them in loads of different ways. Currently whilst peppers are abundant, I love to cook up a little minced beef, add herbs & tomatoes, fill the peppers (red, green and/or yellow) and top up with cheese and cook them in the halogen oven for around 20 minutes.
If you are vegetarian or just like a change, use brown breadcrumbs, herbs & tomatoes, add an egg for binding, top with cheese again – delicious.
tracey thompson
spaghetti bolognaise
JaneyM
Spag bol.
Gillian Hutchison
baked tomato burgers. They are yum!
Kirstin Lydon
Tuna lasagne.
Ingrid (aka Dollphin)
Veggie lasagne
kazza ham
chilli con carne
Carole Walker
Lasagne
Sarah Parker
spag bol :)
Peter Schofield
A fiery chilli or a very simple pasta dish
Helen belton
A tomato and peanut african soup to help with my diet :)
Steve S
Chicken Madras
Gilla01
Lasagne
Catherine Thorp
Roast veggie lasagne
Sue Obrien
A pasta sauce
NIGEL HILL
Chilli Con Carne
Laura
an amazing lasagne
Gavin O'Shaughnessy
Spicy beef lasagne
Kay Broomfield
Roasted vegetable lasagne :)
paula marriott
chicken arriabata
Nigel Greaves
Shepherds Pie
Lynne OConnor
Lasagne
Amanda Mallows
I would make a ratatouille to go with sea bass
Liz Marriott
Tomato and basil soup
Samantha B
A really tomatoey curry
denise s
Lasagne
catherine plant
spaghetti bolgnaise
Jen Webb
Spagetti Bolognese :)
cheryl hadfield
I would make a sausage and bean casserole
Stephanie Burchatt
Bolognese sauce!
Rachel B
I’d make some superb and simple tomato and garlic spaghetti
Karen Whittaker
Tomato and spinach curry
Fiona Mallard
Spaghetti Bolognese
Kristy Brown
Home made meatballs with tomato and basil sauce
Julia Wulff
I would cook spaghetti puttanecsa
Kayleigh Beirne
vegetarian spaghetti and meatballs
Emily Jayne Phipps
Spag bol, always a winner :D
Alison
Spaghetti bolognese, it always goes down well
Danika Lloyd
Meatballs & spaghetti
Deena Kakaya
You know it is lovely to see lovely, clean and simple recipes like these because you really demonstrate how easy it is to achieve full flavour and that opening a salt and sugary can of precooked beans in tomato sauce is not the only way x
Helen
thank you Deena, we really enjoyed these.