White beans are a staple of the Florentine diet. During the summer, they are sold fresh in their weathered yellowed pods, and though the shucking takes awhile, the beans cook in a fraction of the time of their dried counterparts. By the time the olive harvest rolls around in midautumn, dried beans have filled the pantry. Nothing does greater justice to the sharp, fruity flavor of freshly pressed olive oil than a slice of toasted bread smothered with warm beans and generously doused with the pungent, new oil.
Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World Series, “Florence”, by Lori de Mori (Oxmoor House, 2004).
Tip
Serve with a dry, chilled “vino rosato” (rosé).