Italia a Tavola-Hunter Style Chicken

Pollo alla Cacciatora

Hunter style chicken

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 large chicken cut in pieces

Olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

3 ripe Roma tomatoes, pealed, seeded and cubed

1 pinch of Cayenne pepper

salt

½ glass of dry white wine

Set all the ingredients, except the wine, in the pot making sure to mix them well together. Adjust the salt and cayenne pepper to your taste. Cook in the oven at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes, add the wine, cook for another 15/20 minutes.

Open the oven door and let sit for another 10/15 minutes before serving.

This recipes is very versatile, you can add mushrooms, peas, beans and serve it with polenta, mashed potatoes or rice.

Italia a tavola-Bread Salad

Panzanella

Bread salad

Ingredients for 6 servings

This is the Italian version of Tabouli.

18 oz. of aged ciabatta bread.

6 tomatoes

1 cucumber

½ red onion

1 clove of garlic

8 leaves of basil

¼ cup of capers

Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper

Put the hardened bread in a bowl of water until is soft. Cut the tomatoes, onion and cucumber in very small cubes. Put the garlic and capers on the cutting board and mince finely with a “mezzaluna” knife; cut the basil in small strips. When the bread is soft grab a handful and squeeze all the water out of it and crumble it in a salad bowl.  Repeat until all the bread is squeezed and ready to be dressed. Add the vegetables, a little balsamic vinegar, abundant olive oil and pepper; mix everything very well, taste, adjust the salt and mix again. Let the Panzanella sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

A refreshing and tasty summer salad!

Italia a tavola-Onions and Pork Soup

Zuppa di Cipolle e Maiale

Onions and Pork Soup

Ingredients for four serving

35 oz. of Onions

11 oz. of pork ribs

2oz of bacon

1 sausage

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

1 garlic clove

4 slices of Como or ciabatta bread

Olive oil

Salt

Put the pork ribs in 6.5 cups of salted water, with the carrot, celery and ½ onion and boil until the pork meat will easily come off the bone; at this point take it out of the pot and cut it in strips; save the broth.

While the meat is boiling cut the onions in thin slices and cry! If your eyes are not swollen shot, stir fry the onions in a large pot in 10 TbS of olive oil, with the bacon and the sausage minced.  Stir fry at medium heat until the onion is golden and then slowly add the broth.

Cook for about 1 hour then add the meat and cook for another 30 minutes.

Toast the bread and rub the garlic over it; put each slice in a bowl and ladle the soup over it.

Earth Pots

Hand Made Earth Pots from Studiocreta

Italia a Tavola- Bread Soup

Minestra di Pane

Bread soup

Ingredients for 4 servings

28 oz of fresh beans red or Borlotti or 14 oz of dry beans

(Previously boiled-keep the water)

14 oz. Pomodori maturi o “pelati”

2oz of Pancetta (or bacon) cubed

¼ of a medium curly cabbage

1 bundle of Lacinato Kale

1 Celery Stalk

1 Onion

¼ cup of parsley

1 Garlic clove

¼ of a chili pepper

4 thick slices of Ciabatta bread

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper

Chop the celery, onion, parsley, garlic and chili pepper and stir fry in a large pot with 4 TbS of oil, and the pancetta. When the onion turns golden add the pealed and chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and cook at slow heat for 10 minutes.

Pass half of the beans through a sieve (or blender) and put all of the beans in the pot with the veggies,  cover everything with 2 liters of the beans cooking water and cover with the lid. When the water start boiling add the cabbage and Kale cut in small strips. 

Cook everything at low heat for at least 1 hour, or until the kale is tender.  Serve hot on tasted bread rubbed with garlic, garnished with raw olive oil. Serve without cheese.

Italia a Tavola- Onion and peas soup

Carabaccia

(Peas soup)

3 large onions

4 Celery m Carrots

11 oz of fresh peas

4 eggs

Como or ciabatta bread

Olive oil

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt, Pepper

Chop the onions, celery and carrots and put in a earth pot with abundant oil, salt and pepper; let cook at low heat with the lid on for at least 1 hour stirring every now and then.

Boil the peas and pass half through a strainer or put half in the food processor.

After about 1 hour add the peas to the veggies sauce and stir well. Poach 4 eggs.

Toast 4 slices of bread, quickly dunk the in a bowl of hot water and put each one of them in a separate bowl. Cover the bread with a ladle full of carabaccia, put one poached egg on it and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Italia a Tavola- Tuscan Meat Sauce

Sugo di Carne

(Meat Sauce)

Ingredients for 6 servings

(fresh organic ingredients taste better)

11oz of lean beef in slices (no ground beef)

14oz of ripe tomatoes, chopped

1oz of dried mushrooms

(soaked for a few hours and drained)

1 TbS of bone marrow

1 Medium Onion

1Small Carrot

1 Stalk of Celery

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

Mince finely the onion, carrot and celery and put them in a pot (a clay pot if you have one) with the oil and the bone marrow and let if fry slowly without covering for 30 minutes.  Add the meat, the mushrooms cut in chunks and stir fry for a few minutes. Take the meat out and chop it finely, put it back in the pot and add the tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook at low heat for 30 to 40 minutes

Italia a Tavola- Roasted Chicken packed in Salt

Pollo al Sale

Roasted Chicken packed in Salt

Ingredients for 4 servings

One chicken,

1 twig of rosemary,

2 cloves of garlic,

5 lb of rock salt (approx).

Line a deep pot with foil to preserve its integrity after cooking; or use an earth pot. Lay a layer of rock salt about 1 inch thick. Insert the rosemary and garlic in the chicken and place it on the inside the pot, on the salt. Cover the chicken with the rest of the salt making sure is well packed and no meat is exposed. Cook at about 450 degrees for 1.5 hour.

The salt will harden during cooking, so you will need to break it to extract the chicken which will be moist and savory.

This is an antique recipe; it actually originated in China but adopted in many countries. You can use this process also to cook roast beef.

Enjoy it!


Well, I have to say the look of this chicken, after it comes out of the salt, is not terribly attractive, but the flavor is memorable

Italia a Tavola- Saffron Penne with Crab

Penne allo Zafferano e Granchio

(Saffron Penne with Crab)

Ingredients for 4 servings

13oz of penne

7 oz. of crab meat

4oz. of cream

1 garlic clove

1 glass of dry white wine

1ts of butter

1 packet of Saffron powder (4 strands)

salt and pepper.

Put the garlic (crashed with your finger)in a pan with the butter, fry lightly, add the crab meat and cook for just a few minutes at slow heat stirring well.  Add salt and pepper, cook a few more minutes; remove the garlic, add the wine, let thicken a bit, add the saffron previously dissolved in the cream and cook for a few minutes stirring well.

Turn off the heat. Cook the pasta al dente, dress it with the sauce mixing everything well. Serve right away, sit down and enjoy it!.

Italia a Tavola- Raw Veggies with Saffron Sauce

Pinzimonio con Salsa Gialla

(Raw Veggies with Saffron Sauce)

Ingredients for 4 servings

11 oz. of Leaks

½ glass of white wine

1 TbS of potato starch

2 TbS of olive oil

1 packet of Saffron Powder (about 4 strands)

10 blades of chive, chopped finely

1 vegetable bouillon

1 TbS of pepper corn crashed.

Put the pepper in 24 oz. of water and when it starts boiling add the bouillon; as soon as it is melted turn off the heat and let rest for about 15 minutes, then drain and throw away the pepper.

Slice the white part of the leaks, wash them thoroughly, dry them and chopped them finely.

Fry the leaks in the olive oil, when golden add the wine and let evaporate while stirring at medium heat. When the sauce is thicker add the broth, saving about ½ glass, and let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes. Dissolve the Saffron in the broth you set aside, as well as the potato starch, making sure to mix well to avoid any clumps.  Pour the yellow broth in the pot with the leaks and cook for another minute or two stirring well. Pour the sauce in a bowl and add the chives.

Serve warm with a variety of raw vegetables.

Spotlight on Spices-Saffron

Saffron

The most expensive spice in the world!  The stigmas of the saffron crocus are so light that you need over 20,000 to make 4 oz. of spice…and they need to be hand picked.

The true origin of saffron is uncertain, but it was probably first cultivated in Asia Minor.  It was used by all the ancient civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean in food and wine, as a dye, in perfume and as a drug. By the seven century, the plant was known in China, where it was in demand as a drug and a perfume.  Three centuries later it was grown in Spain; in the 11^th century it reached Germany and France, and England I in the 14^th century. Throughout this period Saffron was treated as a commodity of great commercial value, and severe penalties, even death, awaited anyone who adulterated it.

Appearance and groth

The saffron crocus is a perennial bulb that is planted in mid- to late summer. The flowers are picked when the petals open, usually in autumn; at this point the stigmas are hand picked and dried.

Saffron has a distinctive aroma and a penetrating, slightly bitter taste.  A small amount will flavor a large dish and color it a brilliant gold.

Folk Medicine

Saffron is rich in vitamin B2, riboflavin and vitamin C.  It is a great antioxidant and aids digestion and urinary tract health.

Distribution

The main producers of Saffron today are Spain, Greece, France, Turkey, Iran, Morocco and Kashmir; the best Saffron is said to come from La Mancha, Spain.

Italia a Tavola- Polenta with Lacinato Kale

Polenta con il cavolo nero

Polenta with Lacinato Kale

Ingredients for 4 servings

(Fresh organic ingredients are always preferable)

1 small onion (finely minced)

1 medium carrot (finely minced)

2 stalks of celery (finely minced)

¼ cup of Italian Parsley (finely minced)

18oz of Lacinato Kale chopped

Olive oil

6oz of polenta flour

Grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Put some oil in a pot and when it is warm add all the vegetables; add salt and pepper, stir a little and cover letting cook at slow heat for about 20 minutes.  When the vegetables are softer add 6 cups of hot water.  When the water starts boiling again, add the polenta flour stirring vigorously. Continue cooking for another 40 minutes stirring frequently to avoid lumps.

This vegetable Polenta will remain very soft, similar to cream of wheat. Serve with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

SO GOOD and GOOD FOR YOU!

Italia a Tavola- Neapolitan Rice Salad

Insalata di Riso alla Napoletana

Neapolitan Rice Salad

Ingredients for 4 servings

(Fresh organic ingredients are always preferable)

9 oz of rice (cooked and cooled to room temperature)

2 zucchini, cubed

1 carrot, cubed

1 cup of fresh cannellini or white beans, cooked in salted water

with a sprig of rosemary.

1 yellow pepper, cubed

1 large tomatoes, drained and cubed (save the juice)

1 small cucumber, seeded and cubed

2 TbS of capers, chopped finely

Basil, chopped

lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt pepper.

Lightly stir fry the carrot, the zucchini, the pepper, until tender but still firm; add salt pepper and the oregano and set aside.

In a bowl mix ¼ cup of olive oil with the juice of ½ lemon; add the juice of the tomato, basil, capers salt and pepper.

Put this dressing in the rice and mix very well, add the rest of the ingredients and  mix well again. For a more complete meal you can add shrimps or a can of tuna fish.

A wonderful summer dish!

This recipe is dedicated to Marilyn, because she waited do long for it!!.

Italia a Tavola-Eggplant Parmesan

Parmigiana di Melanzane

Eggplant Parmesan

(Organic is better!)

Ingredients for 4 servings

4 large eggplants

Tomato sauce (see recipe below)

Flour

Olive oil for frying

4 0z. of mozzarella cheese chopped

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil

I TbS of Butter

Salt, pepper

For the tomato sauce: mince finely a small carrot, ½ small onion, 1 clove of garlic, ½ celery stalk and a small bunch of Italian Parsley.  Lightly stir fry in a pot with 4 spoons of olive oil, add a large can of diced tomatoes, salt, and let cook at medium/low heat with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Eggplant: In the meantime cut the eggplants length wise in slices of about ¼ inch thickness.  Salt each slice and let sit for about 20 minutes until they start to sweat.

Rinse and dry each slice and roll into white flower.  Pan fry the eggplants in abundant oil or deep fry them if you prefer, until they are soft.  Sit on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Now, Layers! Take a square pan and put a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, put on top a layer of eggplant slices, cover with a layer of tomato sauce, sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, break a few leaves of basil and spread them on top.  Bravi! First layer is done; repeat until all the ingredients are gone. On the last layer sprinkle the butter in small pinches.

Bake at 300F for about 30 minutes.  Let sit for about 10/15 minutes before you serve.  This dish is delicious even cold and….OH! I need to go make it RIGHT NOW!  Enjoy it!

P.S. For the sauce the Muir Glen fire Roasted Organic tomatoes are magnificent, but I was very happy to discover that, at a much more reasonable price, Fred Meyer Private selection Organic Tomatoes are really tasty and an excellent substitute!

Italia a Tavola- Farmer's Beef Rolls

Involtini di Manzo alla Contadina

Farmer’s beef rolls

Ingredients for 4 servings

4 large thin slices of beef

(you can buy beef for a stew, before it is cubed, and ask the butcher

to slice it in 4 slices of about 1/8 inch thickness)

4oz of prosciutto

2 anchovies (under oil)

2 cloves of garlic,

1/2 cup of parsley

4 oz of pancetta (or bacon), cubed

olive oil

8oz of white dry wine

8oz of water

1 ripe tomato minced finely (pulp included)

a small bunch of aromatic herbs

(Thyme,Parsley, marjoram)

1 small onion, minced

1 small carrot, minced

salt and pepper

First prepare the filling:

Mince finely the prosciutto, the 2 anchovies, 1/2 cup of parsley and 2 cloves of garlic, pepper and taste for salt since the anchovies are already pretty salty.

Divide this filling in 4 equal parts and put in the center of each beef slice. Roll the slice and tie it with a cotton string or a couple of tooth picks.

In a pan with a few spoons of olive oil fry the onion, carrot and pancetta; when the onion has began to take some color, put the beef rolls in the pan. Cover the pan and cook at low fire for about 15 minutes. At this point add the wine, water, tomato, herbs, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 90 more minutes.

Italia a Tavola- Provençal stuffed tomatoes

Pomidoro Ripieni alla Provenzale

Provençal stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings

8 ripe tomatoes

6 oz. of rice (cooked but lightly “al dente”)

6 oz. of ripe green olives, pitted and cut in 4 pieces

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 oz. of fresh pancetta (or bacon) cut in one thick slice and cubed

2 TbS of Thyme, tarragon and marjoram

 (in equal amount), finely chopped

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Cut a round cap from the top of each tomato, take out the pulp and juice and save it in a bowl.

Pan fry the onion in a few TbSs of oil;  when golden brown add the tomato pulp, the rice,the minced herbs and the pancetta, salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes stirring, take out of the fire and add the olives.

Stuff each tomato with the filling, place them in a greased baking pan and cook at 300* for one hour. 

Excellent accompaniment to roasted meat or fish

Italia a Tavola-Recipe from the Master-Cooked Water

Acqua Cotta

Cooked Water

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 stalk of celery and 1 small yellow onion finely chopped

2 bunches of black kale, ripped in chunks and without the center rib

3 fresh and ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed

olive oil, salt, pepper,

4 eggs

4 slices of Como bread, toasted

Lightly fry the celery and onion in a couple of spoons of olive oil. Add the kale, the tomatoes, salt and pepper and enough water to cover the vegetables.

Cook at medium fire until the kale is tender.  If the water reduces too much add more water and salt.

When the kale is tender, reduce the heat and crack in 4 eggs, making sure not to break the yolk; cook until the eggs are soft boiled.

Scoop this very simple soup in 4 bowls where you previously placed the toasted bread.  Make sure you place one egg in each bowl, right on top.  Add a little fresh olive oil and serve hot.

This recipe is from the restaurant " Etrusca" of Sovana (Grosseto)

Italia a tavola-Firenze- Potatoes Torta

Tortino di patate

Potatoes torta

Ingredients for 4 servings

18oz of Potatoes

3oz of butter

2 oz of Parmesan Cheese

1oz of flour

1 TbS of fresh Thyme leaves, 

or Italian Parsley chopped coarsely

16 oz of milk

Bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper

Peel and boil the potatoes and mush them smooth adding 1oz of butter and 8oz of milk.

Melt 1 oz of butter in 4oz of milk; when the butter is melted turn off the fire and add another 4oz of milk and the flour making a smooth sauce of the consistency of pancake batter.

Add the potatoes puree, the eggs, salt, pepper and the Thyme; pour everything in a buttered earth pan or cake pan, cover the surface with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and little pinches of the remaining butter.

Cook the torta in a oven at 350    for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

This torta is truly delicious, often children’s favorite, and a good way to entice them to eat vegetables if you substitute the potatoes with roasted zucchini or artichokes or asparagus.

Italia a tavola-Firenze- Stewed potatoes with sage and bacon

Patate Stufate con Salvia e Carnesecca

 (Stewed potatoes with sage and  bacon )

Ingredients for 4 servings

28 oz. of potatoes cut in medium size pieces

4 oz of bacon cut in small strips

½ onions finely chopped

A few Sage leaves

2 TbS of Italian Parsley finely chopped

About 1 or 2 cups of broth (depending on the type of potatoes you used and the size)

Olive oil, salt and pepper


Lightly stir fry the onion, sage and bacon in a deep pan with a couple of TbS of olive oil.  When the onion is slightly golden add the potatoes and let them roast a few minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.  Add a small amount of broth and keep stirring, add salt and pepper.  Continue adding broth and stirring until the potatoes are cooked.  Turn off the fire, add the parsley, stir well and serve!

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Drunken Sturgeon

Storione Ubriaco 

(Drunken Sturgeon)

28oz of Sturgeon

1 glass of white wine

2 garlic cloves

1 lemon (juiced)

¼ spoon of Italian parsley (chopped)

¼ ts of Thyme

Rosemary

3 TbS of Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Make a marinade with the 2 TbS of olive oil, rosemary, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cover the sturgeon with it, on both sides, and let sit for 4 hours.

In a pan put 1TbS of olive oil and the garlic cut in 4 pieces (each); when the

Garlic is slightly golden add the sturgeon and fry lightly on both sides, then add the white wine, a little more salt and pepper and the thyme. Let cook until the sauce is a bit thicker and serve with fresh lemon on the side.

The sturgeon is of remote origin.  In the Italian sea once lived a few different species of sturgeon that in the spring time (reproduction time) would swim up the rivers where the female would deposit up to 2,000 eggs. Sturgeon eggs are also used to make caviar.  At this point there are almost no sturgeons left in the Italian sea; the last known catch was in 1958, in the Arno river.  Two very large sturgeons were caught  and used for the wedding banquet  of Lucrezia de' Medici with the Prince Alfonso d' Este.

SPOTLIGHT on Spices! Cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon was one of the first spices sought in the explorations of the 15^th and 16^th centuries. True cinnamon is indigenous of Sri Lanka and was eventually exported to India, Java and the Seychelles Islands, as well as Brazil, Indonesia and the West Indies. The largest producers of cinnamon today are Sri Lanka, which produces the finest cinnamon, and the Seychelles Islands.

Cinnamon is the bark of an evergreen tree of the Laurel family. It is harvested during the rainy season; the first harvest yields thick inferior bark, the quality improves with successive cropping and the finest bark comes from the thin shoots at the center of the plant. Quills are assembled then dried in the shade as direct sunlight warps them.

Cinnamon is mildly sweet and woody, with a well defined taste and warm fragrance; it is suited for sweet and savory dishes as well as a variety of drinks.  It is also widely used to make incense, pomanders and pot-pourris.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-sweet and sour shrimps

Gamberi in dolceforte

 Sweet and Sour Shrimps

Ingredients for 4 servings

18oz of raw peeled large shrimps

4oz of raisins

1 lemon  (juiced)

Olive Oil

Flour

½ ts of cinnamon

Salt, Pepper

Set the raisins in a small bowl of lukewarm water and let sit until plump; then drain and dry them.

 Wash the shrimps and dry them well, coat them with the flour and stir fry them in 5 TbS of olive oil at medium/high heat.  As soon as they turn red, lower the heat and add salt, pepper and cinnamon. Add the raisins and the lemon juice. Continue cooking until the sauce is thicker.

The contrast of salty and sweet ingredients was highly appreciated during the renaissance period.  This reflected the influence of spice merchants coming from different countries, particularly from the orient.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Lemon meat balls

Polpettine al Limone

Lemon meat balls

Ingredients for 4 servings

14 oz of extra lean hamburger meat

2oz of grated Parmesan Cheese

1.5 oz of butter

1 egg

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1TbS of Italian parsley finely chopped

Flour

1 lemon (juiced)

Olive Oil, salt and pepper

In a bowl mix the meat with the egg, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt pepper and let everything rest for about 1 hour.

After 1 hour prepare the polpette (meat balls) by rolling about ¼ cup of the seasoned meat in your lightly wet hands and rolling it into the flour; set on a plate until they are all done.  When the polpette are ready put them in a pan where you melted the butter in 2 TbS of oil. Cook at very low heat for about 30 minutes turning them over frequently; at this point add the lemon juice, raise the heat and as soon as the sauce starts boiling turn off the heat…they are ready to be served.

They go very well with a side of steamed vegetables.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Farmer wife Risotto

Risotto alla Contadina

Ingredients for 4 servings

11oz of Arborio rice

14 oz of ripe tomatoes (or canned)

11 oz of fresh peas in their shell

11oz of fresh lima beans in their shell

4 oz of green beans

1 small yellow onion

1 zucchino

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

¼ cup of fresh Italian parsley

Olive Oil

Parmesan cheese

Salt, Pepper

Mince finely the carrot, celery, onion and parsley

And stir fry lightly in a pot with 6 TbS of olive oil.

When the onion is slightly golden add the tomatoes diced in small cubes, the fresh lima beans (shelled), the green beans cut in 4 pieces each, and the zucchini cut in small cubes, salt and pepper. Let everything cook at slow heat for about 20 minutes; add the peas (shelled) stir well and let cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the rice and stir until fully cooked adding small amount of hot salted water as necessary to complete the cooking time and avoid burning.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.

(you can substitute with vegetable of your choice as long as they fresh and in season)

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Pasta with Lamb

Minestra di Agnello

(Lamb pasta)

Ingredients for 6 servings 

11oz. of lean ground lamb

14 oz. of hand made taglierini

7oz. of ripe (or canned) tomatoes

6 ½ cups of light chicken broth

½ glass of white wine

½ Onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1 clove of garlic

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Mince finely the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and lightly fry it in 3 TbS of olive oil;

When the onion is golden brown add the lamb meet and stir fry lightly, stirring for about 3 minutes; add the white wine and when is almost completely evaporated add the tomatoes.  Continue cooking at slow fire for abut an hour and then add the broth. After a few minutes add the taglierini and cook for a few minutes.

Italia a tavola-Firenze-Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe is dedicated to my son, also an appreciator of healthy and savory cuisine as well as a good chef!  I love you Cicci!

Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients for 6 servings

11 oz. of short pasta (rigatoni, conchiglie, orecchiette)

11 oz. of dry Cannellini beans soaked for 12 hrs

(or 27 oz. of fresh Cannellini if you can find them)

3 garlic cloves

1 twig of Rosemary

1 twig of Sage (4, 5 leaves)

½ hot chili pepper

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Put the beans and 2 cloves of garlic in a pot (best pot for beans is a terracotta pot) with the sage and 2 TbS of olive oil. Cover everything with about 2 inches of water (over the surface of the beans),
and let cook in the oven at 300* for 3 hours.  
When the beans are well done pass them through a strainer (a potato ricer could work), leaving about 1/3 of the beans whole.  In a small pan lightly stir fry 1 garlic clove, the rosemary and the hot chili pepper in 4 TbS of olive oil; when cooked, pass through the strainer or put in the food processor and add to the beans.  Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil add salt and cook the pasta in it, add a little water if necessary.

Serve in bowls with a drip of fresh olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh black pepper and without cheese.

You can of course compromise a little and cook the beans on the stove top at very slow heat; this will make removing the peals easier because they generally float to the surface.

You can compromise more and use canned beans…but then you can’t really taste the true flavor of this recipe.

Good things take time!