One of the most traditional Italian dishes, widespread in all regions with small variations. We offer it in combination with Ciliegiolo di Narni Brecciaro 2022 Leonardo Bussoletti.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
250 g dried borlotti beans (can be substituted with cannellini beans, according to preference), 180 g ditaloni rigati, 200 g tomato pulp, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 80 g onion, carrot and celery, 2 cloves of garlic, rosemary, 1 bay leaf, salt and black peppercorns
Directions:
In a large bowl with cold water, let the beans soak overnight.
Drain them, rinse them and put them in a pot of cold salted water with the bay leaf. From when it comes to a boil, cook for a good hour (prick them with a fork and they should be soft). While cooking, remove the foam that forms on the surface with the help of a skimmer. Drain them, keeping the cooking water aside (about 1 liter should be left over).
Meanwhile, chop the vegetables for the stir-fry, put them in a saucepan with the peeled garlic cloves and oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the beans with the tomato pulp and let it season for a couple of minutes. Add half the cooking water, cover with a lid and lower the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
Take a little less than half of the beans and blend them to a cream, if necessary add a ladle of cooking water for desired consistency, and keep the cream aside
Pour the ditaloni into the saucepan and proceed to cook, adding the cooking water from the beans a little at a time and stirring often. With the risotto cooking, the starch released from the pasta will bind to the legumes.
When the pasta is al dente, add the creamed beans, chopped rosemary, and adjust the salt if needed.
Serve with a drizzle of oil and a grating of pepper.
Wine pairing:
Narni Ciliegiolo Brecciaro 2022 Leonardo Bussoletti
Ruby red. Fruity and intense, with notes of dark cherry, black cherry and licorice, accompanied by hints of spice, black pepper, tobacco. On the palate ripe red fruit flavors and a touch of herbs. Velvety tannins, fresh and savory sip with good persistence.
Production area: in Narni at Brecciaro (a former breccia quarry) from which the wine takes its name and at Colle Ozio from the vineyards of San Gemini. The soils are 190 meters and 290 meters above sea level and are rocky the former and calcareous clay the latter.
Grape varieties: 100% Ciliegiolo di Narni. The vineyards are between 10 and 15 years old, trained on guyot, with a yield between 600 and 800 grams per plant. Viticulture is certified organic “Soil and Health.”
Harvest: Grapes are harvested by hand in 20 kg crates.
Production processes: Fermentation is spontaneous and lasts about 6-10 days. After racking, Brecciaro ages 70 percent in temperature-controlled stainless steel on its fine deposits for about 12 months; the remaining 30 percent ages in large 25-hl French oak barrels for 9-12 months. After bottling, the wine remains in the cellar for another 6-7 months.
Annual production ranges from 12,000-15,000 bottles.
Alcohol content: 13% vol.
Serving temperature: 16-18° C Recommended pairings: Rice with beans, pasta and peas, mushroom soup, white meats, cured meats and semi-mature cheese, excellent with lake fish and stockfish.
