Fresh White Beans in Tomato Sauce (Rome)

Vegeterian

Ingredients

Fresh white beans - 2 pounds

Salt

Ripe tomatoes - 2 pounds

Ham fat, finely chopped - 4 tbsps

Butter - 2 tbsps

Olive oil - 4 tbsps

Onion, finely chopped - 1 small

Celery, finely chopped - 1 stalk

Parsley, finely chopped - 1-2 sprigs

Pepper

Shell the beans and put them into a pan with cold water and a little salt. Cook over a low heat until tender but not broken, about 1 hour. While the beans are cooking, peel and chop the tomatoes, and rub them through a sieve.

Heat the ham fat, butter and olive oil in a pan, and saute the onion, celery and parsley until they begin to brown. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook over a brisk heat for 30 minutes. Drain the beans, add them to the tomato sauce and continue to cook for about 20 minutes over a very low heat to let them absorb the tomato flavor. Serve hot with the sauce.

Serves 6