While we were in Florence and the Tuscan countryside, my wife and I ate a number of bean dishes.  Barlotti beans, shown and used here, were very common there.  White beans flavored simply with herbs and spicy red pepper flakes were also commonly found on many menus.

Barlotti beans can be found in most markets but they may be labeled as either cranberry beans, roman beans, or simply as barlotti.  So, just be aware that they may be labeled differently.  The consistency and texture of this dish is really unique.  The soft, silkiness of the beans juxtaposed against the chewiness of the al dente farro is just really, really great.  The whole dish is steeped with both rosemary and sage and I have to say that both flavors come through so well here.  When we returned from Italy last month, I decided that I wanted to try to recreate the bean dishes we sampled in Tuscany and I came across this recipe for this dish.  I followed this recipe exactly as written and it was great!  We ate this dish as a main course, as a side dish, and as a hearty lunch.  If you prefer a little more texture, you can leave some of the beans whole and just puree 3/4 of the beans.  However, I think it’s pretty perfect as written, which is why I didn’t even bother playing around with it to tweak it, etc.  Tara actually told me that she would eat this every day if she could…so I’m guessing I’ll be making it again fairly soon.  Fine by me…I really loved it as well.

If you can’t find farro in the stores (which you probably won’t), you can use spelt.  I found organic spelt at Stop n Shop (Bob’s Red Mill Brand in the organic section) and I also found the barlotti beans there (same section).  Spelt is the same grain as farro.  Italians call the grain farro and spelt is the German name.  I’m not sure why the grain is labeled spelt more commonly here in the U.S., but do not worry if you can’t find farro…you’ll find spelt fairly easily.  if you want something actually labeled farro, you can find it on-line.  However, I looked at it and it’s fairly expensive when compared to even the price for organic spelt.

I’m going to work on recreating the simple white bean dish from Tuscany as well and hopefully will post something on that in the coming weeks.  Until then, try this recipe from Food52.  You will not be disappointed and in fact, you might just be like Tara and decide you want to have it everyday!  Enjoy.

Update:  In reviewing the recipe and thinking back to when I made this dish, I did, in fact, change the recipe a bit.  I cooked dried beans from scratch.  I cooked them for a little over an hour…until not quite done (a bit more undone than al dente but not much).  To make the beans from scratch, just take pre-soaked beans and add them to a large pot.  Add a bay leaf and an onion simply cut in half.  Add enough water so the beans are well covered and bring to a boil.  Add just a dash of salt and maybe a pinch of red pepper flake.  Once boiling, reduce to low, cover and simmer the beans until you achieve the desired level of doneness (which for me was about 70ish minutes). Strain the beans and reserve a bit of the liquid.  Add the reserved liquid to the pot with the beans and veggies at the point when it’s time to puree the mixture.  In my opinion, the slow cooked beans will result in a deeper, more flavorful soup.  If you are short on time, certainly canned beans (as per the recipe from food52) would work just fine…but if you are gonna take the time to make this recipe, go for the dried beans and take the time…it will definitely make a noticeable difference in the overall taste and quality of the dish.  I’m pretty sure the slow food cooking movement in Italy would concur!  As an aside, the slow food movement is certainly an interesting one and I am definitely interested both in it and the general ideals it tries to highlight.