Starters

Tuscan Bean Stew

Like most Italian cuisine, Tuscan cooking relies on fresh and simple local ingredients to make hearty meals packed full of flavour. This stew is no exception with a delicious mixture of vegetables, beans and barley. The perfect warming and nutritious meal for colder Autumn evenings.
Cook with:
Filippo Berio Classico Olive Oil
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp Filippo Berio Classico Olive Oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 200g celeriac, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm pieces
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 75g pearl barley, rinsed
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 400g can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
  • 200g cavolo nero or curly kale, tough stems removed and roughly chopped
  • Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
  • Crusty bread, for serving

Method:

  1. Heat the Filippo Berio Classico Olive Oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic, leeks, celeriac, carrots and sprigs of rosemary and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the pearl barley.
  2. Add the tomatoes, sun- dried tomato purée, stock and season well. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the pearl barley and vegetables are just tender.
  1. Stir the beans and cavolo nero, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve the stew in bowls, with a drizzle of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil, with crusty bread to mop up the juices.