Chifferi Elbow Pasta with Cannellini Beans and Tuna

Method7 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose dried or canned beans. For dried beans, soak the 200 g beans overnight in cold water. Rinse, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil and then simmer until fully tender, about 60–90 minutes. The source author adds salt, an extra garlic clove and a celery stalk to the cooking water. Drain the beans, keeping their cooking liquid. Skip step 2.

   Cook soaked dried beans until fully tender · 60 minUses 200 g dried cannellini beans · Water for overnight soaking, then fresh water for bean cooking · Salt for cooking dried beans · 1 optional garlic clove for dried beans · 1 optional celery stalk for dried beans

2. 2

   Step 2: For the canned alternative, skip dried-bean soaking/cooking in step 1. Rinse and drain 1 can precooked cannellini beans and discard the can liquid. Use a little vegetable stock in the sauce instead of bean cooking water.

   Uses 1 can precooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3. 3

   Step 3: Peel the onion and slice it thinly then peel the garlic (1). Remove the seeds from the red pepper and cut into small circles

   Uses 1 white onion (peeled and thinly sliced) · 1 garlic clove (peeled) · 1 Italian red chili pepper (peperoncino) (deseeded and finely chopped)

4. 4

   Step 4: Heat the olive oil (2–3 tbsp) in an iron skillet or heavy frying pan, sauté the garlic, red chili pepper and onion with 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive. When they start to soften add the anchovy. When it starts to melt, add the previously drained and chopped tuna and, stir the ingredients enough to flavour them.

   Uses All prepared onion, sauce garlic and red chili · 2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil · 1–2 anchovy fillets; source permits anchovy paste as an alternative · 120 g canned tuna in olive oil, drained and broken up

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Add the tomato paste and a little water to dissolve it. Now add the cannellini beans and some of their cooking liquid and gently mix everything together.Next add a small bay leaf (1) and cook covered on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and then remove the garlic .

   Simmer bean sauce · 10 minUses All sautéed tuna, anchovy and aromatics · 4 tbsp tomato concentrate · A little water to dissolve tomato concentrate · All cooked dried beans, if dried route was chosen · All rinsed canned beans instead, if canned route was chosen · Some bean cooking liquid for dried-bean route · Some vegetable stock instead for canned-bean route · 1 bay leaf

   
6. 6

   Step 6: While the sauce is cooking put a large pot of water on the stove, bring it to a boil, then add salt and wait for it to boil again, pour in the pasta and let it cook al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Don’t forget to stir it from time to time.

   Uses 400 g elbow pasta (gomiti, chifferi or pipette) · Water for boiling elbow pasta · Salt for pasta water

7. 7

   Step 7: Drain the pasta once it’s cooked and mix it with the cannellini and tuna bean sauce, sauté the pasta with beans and tuna for a couple of minutes and serve hot or tepid with a sprinkling of parsley.

   Finish pasta with bean and tuna sauce for a couple of minutes · 2 minUses All drained elbow pasta · All cooked tuna and bean sauce · Remaining chopped parsley for serving