Fagioli al Tonno
So the simple story goes something like this. The Italians didn’t know beans about
white beans until explorers brought them back from the New World, probably
Mexico, in the 1500s. Prior to
that, the ancient Romans had cultivated black-eyed peas and Renaissance
Italians enjoyed the broad bean or fava.
But the white fagioli, now know as cannellini beans, were new and
considered fairly exotic. The
Italians were probably the first Europeans to eat them.
Clement VII received some of the first seeds because, well,
he was the pope. They were planted
in Tuscany. The story goes that
when Clement’s relataive, Catherine de’ Medici (age 14), left for France in
1533 to marry Henry II (also age 14), her brother Alessandro gave her some
cannellini beans to take with her as a wedding present. No silver candelabra for her. But these beans were very new and
special and Catherine was a foodie.
She introduced the white bean to the French. Question: would there be no cassoulet without Catherine?
Back in Italy, cannellini beans were such a hit they quickly
became a staple in Tuscany. Not
just for the royal table, they were perfect as peasant food, la cucina povera. They were easy to
cultivate, very nutritious and served simply with olive oil, garlic and sage. The Tuscans were in love. And to this
day the rest of Italy refers to Tuscans as i
mangiafagioli, the bean-eaters.
This bean and tuna salad requires few ingredients and little
time to prepare. I made a double
batch once for my daughter’s International Day at school and there wasn’t a
bean left on the dish. You can use
dried beans and soak them overnight but that wouldn’t be simple and simple is
what we’re all about.
INGREDIENTS
2 1-pound cans of cannellini beans
1 6-ounce can tuna fish, preferably packed in olive oil (but
if packed in
water
or vegetable oil then drain the can)
¼ cup slivered red onion
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley, preferably flat-leaf
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Rinse and drain the beans, then spoon them into a shallow
dish. Fold in the tuna, breaking
up the chunks as you fold. Add the
red onion and gently stir.
Mix the olive oil and lemon juice, pour over the bean/tuna
mixture and again gently stir.
Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the parsley over the salad. Served chilled or at
room temperature.
Note: If you want to cook dried beans, one pound of
dried beans makes about 5 ½ to 6 cups of cooked beans. Measure accordingly.
