Soak the beans in water for at least 12 hours. After this time, cook them.

Step 1

Tie the pork saddle with food string. Tie it tightly so that it does not loosen during cooking.

Step 2

Chop rosemary, garlic, sage and fennel seeds, add salt and freshly ground black pepper to the mix.
Prick the meat with a fine-blade knife, insert the mix in these holes.
This seasoning will give fragrance to the meat internally, too.

Step 3

Pour oil into a large casserole and braise the pork meat on a low heat, taking care to turn it round occasionally. While it is cooking, add some white wine and evaporate. Remember to use the boiling broth to wet the pork meat as it is cooking.

Step 4

In a large casserole, soften the chopped garlic by frying slightly in oil, then add the beans that have been soaked. Season with salt and pepper, cover with water and cook.

Step 5

Lightly fry the vegetables in oil, add chopped dried mushrooms, chopped parsley and some white wine.

Step 6

Add brown cooking liquid, season to taste with salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes.

Step 7

Slice the pork saddle, arrange on a plate and pour both sauces over the slices, the one with the beans and the one with the mushrooms.

Chef's Tips

The meat to be used for this dish is pork meat, the ‘saddle’. While the meat is cooking, keep the lid on the pot.

Food History

Flavorful and nutritious, beans are among the most important legumes in the human diet. Although legumes were already around in ancient Rome, the varieties of the time came from Asia and Africa. Today these ancient varieties are known as “fagioli dall’occhio”: small, white beans with a little black dot where the seed was attached to the pod.

The most common variety today is from central, South America, where the legumes have been cultivated for around 7,000 years.
Discovered by Christopher Columbus during his second trip to the Americas, the beans were brought back to Europe by Spanish and Portuguese sailors in the 16th century. They have since become an integral part of rustic, home-cooked dishes.
In Italy, in fact, beans were often served with pasta in poor homes because the dish is nutritious, yet inexpensive.

Did you know that...

Beans are the fruit of the bean plant, which is in the genus phaseolus?

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