Two tins of beans and forty minutes gets you a ragù with real body. Soffritto cooked down slowly, tomato reduced until it stops tasting of tin, beans in at the end so they hold their shape instead of collapsing. The Italian Chilli Oil goes on at the table and sinks straight into the charred bread, which is the whole point of a drizzle oil.
45 mins. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 2 x 400g tins Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp Plateit Italian Chilli Oil, plus more to finish
- 1 Brown onion, finely diced
- 1 Carrot, finely diced
- 1 stick Celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced, plus 1 whole for the toast
- 400g tin Chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 1 Parmesan rind, if you have one
- 300ml Water or vegetable stock
- 4 thick slices Sourdough
- Parmesan, to grate
- Salt and pepper, plenty
Method
- Onion, carrot and celery into a heavy pot with a good glug of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Low heat, 15 mins, until soft and sweet and taking no colour. This is the base and it cannot be hurried.
- Sliced garlic in for a minute, then the tomato paste. Cook it out 2 mins until it darkens and smells roasted rather than raw.
- Tomatoes, rosemary, parmesan rind and the stock in. Simmer uncovered 20 mins until it thickens and stops tasting of tin.
- Beans in. Another 10 mins, low. Crush about a third of them against the side of the pot for body. Pull the rosemary and the rind out. Taste hard for salt.
- Char the sourdough on a dry griddle or under the grill until it is properly black at the edges. Rub each slice with the cut garlic clove.
- Ragù piled onto the toast, parmesan grated over, then 2 tbsp of Plateit Italian Chilli Oil drizzled across at the table.
Do this: The parmesan rind is the difference between beans in sauce and a ragù. Keep every rind in the freezer for exactly this.
Make ahead: Better the next day. It thickens overnight and tastes like it took twice as long.
Swap it: Leave the parmesan and the rind out and it is vegan, no other changes.
