Giovanni Giovannoni is the president of the Association "Rosso e i suoi fratelli", which protects the red bean of Lucca and the other 17 varieties cultivated in the Plain of Lucca.
A passionate grower, he is also an excellent and generous cook, several times finalist of the "disfida della zuppa", the semi-serious competition between chefs organized by Slow Food in winter. Deep connoisseur of the "leguminous" nature, he never backs out when there is a need of a good advice about "leguminous" combinations with meats, spices, wines, vegetables.
Not just soup, in fact, Giovanni is the author of an excellent and very simple red bean from Lucca velouté. "The simplest and tastiest thing in the world", he says, and all thanks to the bean which, savory by nature, does not need many niceties to give the best of itself and please everyone with its strong flavor and delicate texture.
So let's hear, directly from him, how to prepare it.
what you need:
500 gr of Lucca red bean (Slow Food Presidium)
1/2 cloves of garlic
1 onion from Lucca
1 carrot
1 celery rib
rosemary and sage
extra virgin olive oil
how to make it:
You wash the beans and put them "to soak" for one. The next day they are cooked in plenty of water for about an hour and a half with a clove of garlic, a sprig of rosemary and some sage leaves.
Once cooked they are passed through a sieve... or a minipimer until a thick cream is obtained.
Prepare in a deep pot a chopped mixture of onion, carrot and celery which is wilted in a little oil and when this mixture is hot, add the cream of beans and leave to gain flavor. It is not necessary to add salt, the red bean of Lucca is sufficiently sapid without the need of support.
Serve hot and garnished with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil from the oil mill which will release all its aromas and complete the "palette" of flavors and fragrances.
To accompany the veloute and to keep the tone, Giovanni recommends a good red wine from the hills of Lucca.