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Tuscan Beans for Soup or on Their Own
fagioli alla toscana

4 to 5 cups beans; 3 to 4 cups liquid

Rinse the beans under running water if they look a little dusty. Place in a large bowl and add 2 cups of water (preferably spring water), or enough to cover the beans to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Next day, check the beans and add more water if necessary -- this time just top them up to a depth of 1/2 inch. Put back in the refrigerator and leave overnight again. They should soak for two days, more or less, and should be checked from time to time to see that they haven't absorbed all the water during this period. (Refrigeration is necessary to keep the beans from either fermenting or sprouting.)

When ready to cook, transfer the beans, with their soaking liquid, to a large, heavy pot -- enameled cast-iron is perfect. Add more water if necessary, to a depth of about 1/2 inch, and the garlic, sage, oil, and pepper. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, let boil for 60 seconds, then lower the heat and cook without removing the lid very, very gently, just barely simmering, for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, stir in salt to taste. Test the beans and if they are not sufficiently tender, continue to simmer gently until done. (It is hard to predict what beans will do, since so much depends on the age of the beans, a factor that, unless you've grown them yourself, is hard to determine.)

The beans may be served as is, with a drizzle of fresh green olive oil and, if you wish, chopped raw garlic, chopped anchovies, flaked canned tuna, thinly sliced red onion, and plenty of black pepper, along with slices of grilled bread. Beans like this are often served as a side dish to accompany roast pork, game, or grilled sausages. Or they may become the basis of other dishes.

 

Pasta Aglio E Olio

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
Total Time: 35 min Prep: 10 min Inactive: 5 min Cook: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy

Ingredients

Kosher salt

1 pound dried spaghetti, such as DeCecco

1/3 cup good olive oil

8 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold the pasta, such as a 12-inch sauté pan or a large, shallow pot. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn golden on the edges-don't overcook it! Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Carefully add the reserved pasta-cooking water to the garlic and oil and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about a third.

Add the drained pasta to the garlic sauce and toss. Off the heat, add the parsley and Parmesan and toss well. Allow the pasta to rest off the heat for 5 minutes for the sauce to be absorbed. Taste for seasoning and serve warm with extra Parmesan on the side.

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Tuscan Shrimp and Linguine

Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add garlic and red pepper, stir one minute. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil and simmer 40 minutes. Stir in shrimp, cover and turn off heat. Leave pot covered just until shrimps are firm, about 6 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately over ½ lb.  linguine.

Serves 2-3

High-Summer Risotto
risotto al sol d'agosto

This is based on a recipe in Giovanni Righi Parenti's great book La Cucina Toscana, which should be in the library of anyone who loves Tuscany and Tuscan food. "Sol d'agosto" refers to the leonine sun of August, when tomatoes are at their peak of perfection. I have changed the recipe a little in order to use the aromatics available in American markets and gardens, but that brilliant touch at the end, the addition of raw tomatoes and aromatics to finish the dish, is straight from Righi Parenti's description.

 

Serves 8

In a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, sweat the onion with the finely chopped basil (the slivered basil will be added later), parsley, and sage in the oil until the vegetables are very soft. Do not let them brown. Mix the rice into the vegetables and add salt and pepper. Stir slowly and when the rice starts to turn opaque, pour in the wine.

As soon as most of the wine has been absorbed by the rice, add about half the tomatoes to the dish, stirring to mix well. Continue to cook the rice, stirring frequently; as the liquid in the tomatoes is absorbed, add hot chicken stock, 1/4 cup at a time. (You may not need all the chicken stock to finish the risotto.)

The risotto is cooked when the grains of rice are still separate and slightly resistant to the bite but bathed in a thick sauce. At this point remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the cheese, the remaining tomatoes, the slivered basil, and minced garlic. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then serve immediately.

 

Peppery Grilled Chicken
pollo al mattone o pollo alla diavolo

This is called pollo al mattone because the bird is flattened with a brick for ease of grilling, or pollo alla diavolo (deviled chicken) because the peppery seasoning of crushed black peppercorns and crumbled dried hot chile peppers is torrid as the dickens.

 

Serves 6

Mix the oil with the black and red peppers, rosemary, sage, and salt and set aside, covered, for several hours or overnight.

Prepare the chicken halves by cutting away and discarding excess yellow fat from the insides of the birds. Flatten them by laying each half, skin side up, on a board and pounding it smartly with the flat side of a cleaver. This should crack the breast bone so that the birds will lie flat on the grill and cook more evenly.

Put the chicken halves on a platter or in an oven dish and cover with the peppery olive oil. Leave to marinate, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Or refrigerate, covered, for several hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, prepare the grill, leaving plenty of time for it to heat up if you're using charcoal or wood. When the coals are hot, place the chicken halves, skin side down, on the grill and set the grill a good 8 inches from the source of the heat. Stir the lemon juice into the savory oil remaining in the platter and use this to brush over the chickens as they cook. Grill for 15 minutes on each side, turning once, brushing frequently with the oil and lemon juice. Test for doneness: The juices should run clear yellow when the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Serve immediately, piled on a platter garnished with lemon wedges.

 

Lemon Chicken
pollo al limone

This was a favorite recipe of my friend and neighbor, the late Nika Hazelton, whose crusty wit could not conceal a love of Tuscany that was as strong as her love for almost anything made with lemons. Use any fresh herbs that are available -- even plain parsley is delicious, and in summer fresh basil gives the dish an entirely new perspective.

 

Serves 4 to 6

Grate the zest of the lemons into a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces then squeeze in all the lemon juice, holding back the seeds. Whisk in the wine, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the herbs, and the garlic. Add the chicken pieces, turning them to coat well with the marinade. Set aside, covered, in a cool place to marinate for several hours. (Or prepare the chickens in the morning and refrigerate them until time to start dinner.)

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Drain the chicken halves, reserving the marinade, and sauté them over medium heat until they are golden and crisp on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes on a side. Place the chicken in an oven dish large enough to hold all the pieces in one layer. Pour the remaining marinade into the frying pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits remaining in the pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and set the dish in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are done (juices will run clear yellow when you prick a piece with a fork). Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired.

Serve immediately in the dish in which the chicken was baked, or remove to a heated platter and pour the pan juices over.

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