Cannellini Beans

In a nutshell: These beautiful cannellini beans come from a famed farm, near Siena, specialising in Tuscan beans, pulses and grains.

Dried cannellini beans are a great pantry staple and can be added to all kinds of soups, stews and salads. These canellini have an amazing nutty flavour and texture and are the best we've ever tasted. After cooking, they need little more than a generous splash of extra-virgin olive oil, some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Details: 1kg

How to use:

• Make a classic Minestrone, the hearty bean and vegetable soup - simply soak the cannellini overnight then boil in plenty of water with a bay leaf, extra-virgin olive oil and chopped onion for about 1 hour. The bean stock is absolutely delicious, just add your desired vegetables, some olive oil and herbs.
• An easy cannellini, tuna and tomato salad, with a generous splash of red wine vinegar of course, does wonders as a midweek meal.

About Il Cilegio
Close to the famous Medieval walled town of Monteriggioni in Tuscany, with its imposing turrets and walls, lies the Azienda Agricola Il Cilegio. Owned by the Pattaro family, who have been farming 140 hectares of land since 1952. Today, almost half their land is given over to olive groves and vineyards where they produce excellent Chianti and olive oil. The rest of their fields are cultivated with wonderful beans and pulses, local grains and wheats, all stoneground in their mill and sold to appreciative bakers and chefs in nearby Siena and its surrounds.  A farmhouse restaurant is always busy in the summer months with locals who come to eat the classic, rustic Tuscan dishes made with the farm’s produce and is well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.