I headed out to Brooklyn’s farmer’s market in search of some Roma tomatoes with the intention of making Steve Sando’s Fagioli all’uccelletto recipe from the Rancho Gordo Q1 2020 Bean Club newsletter.

I found the Roma tomatoes alright, but didn’t bother reading the recipe instructions before setting out to prepare dinner. Turns out those tomatoes are supposed to cook in a low temperature oven for 10 to 12 hours. Needless to say that process wasn’t happening at 7 o’clock at night.

The solution was pretty straight forward. Garlic, also from the farmer’s market, and the fresh Roma tomatoes tossed in olive oil cooked down quickly for a light sauce.

Luckily, the beans, Rancho Gordo’s Alubia Blanca beans, were already cooked. These were tossed in with the lightly scalded tomatoes and simmered in their own juices for five or so minutes until the loose sauce came together. It was enough time to snap a few photos.

We cooked up tubettini pasta as a starch. These are tiny little nibs of macaroni with a hole through the center — little tubes. They have a bit more substance and a better shape than something like orzo, and end up a bit more rigid than the usual go to of mini egg shaped bowties.

Ingredients

10 Roma Tomatoes
Garlic
White Beans (Rancho Gordo Alubia Blanca)
Tubettini macaroni (little tubes)

Instructions

Pre-cook the beans
Halve, then quarter the tomatoes
Simmer finely chopped garlic in oil
Add tomatoes.
Simmer until slightly saucy.
Add beans.
Cover and simmer for about five minutes.
Serve over Tubettini.

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