Bagnasco bean

Grown in every home of the Upper Tanaro valley right up until the 1960s, when it was still trained to climb up wooden trellises, the Bagnasco bean was abandoned in favour of new varieties. A small consortium of growers rediscovered this fine bean in the 1990s. It is small, a variegated ivory colour with light shades of grey and can be eaten fresh or dried and used in tasty pasta e fagioli (pasta and bean) dishes.

Bagnasco Cuneo

Bagnasco

The Upper Tanaro Valley is in the extreme southeast of the Cuneo zone, where the Alpine massifs mark the Piedmont-Liguria border. The bean is grown in the hills and plains of Piedmont, which enjoy cool temperatures with large temperature ranges.

Pasta e fagioli

Ingredients

  • 300 g of small pasta
  • 350 g of boiled Bagnasco beans
  • 1 onion
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 100 g of peeled tomatoes
  • 500 ml of vegetable broth or stock cube
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper

Method

Finely chop onion, celery, carrot and garlic and brown in a large frying pan with some oil. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes with two ladles of broth, continuing to cook until the broth has completely evaporated.

Drain and rinse the Bagnasco beans, then add them to the pan and sauté for a few moments. In the meantime, bring salted water to boil in a large pot and half cook the pasta.

Add the pasta to the bean mixture and continue cooking until the pasta is ready, adding broth if dries out too much. Remove from heat, add oil and black pepper to taste and serve.

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