Anna Maria’s Sagne e Fagioli
On a recent trip in Abruzzo, we stopped in a small town called Frisa, tucked among the rolling hills where olive harvesting was in full swing. (Check out our Behind the Scenes video for more videos about processes like this). The olive nets were laid out beneath the trees, and the air smelled of the peppery phenols and woodsmoke. While we watched the harvesting in action, Anna Maria was inside the kitchen preparing one of the region’s most comforting dishes: sagne e fagioli and our camera men managed to capture it. Her pasta is a hand-shaped ribbon made using durum wheat flour and it’s layered with a borlotti bean and tomato sauce. It was exactly the kind of meal that feeds a hardworking family at harvest time. And although we were just watching, we tucked in too.
- 2-3 hours
- Medium
- Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- Durum wheat flour: 1 generous handful per person → approx. 80–100 g per person
(For 4 people: 320–400 g flour) - Cold water: just enough to form a firm dough → approx. 120–150 ml water for 400 g flour
For the Borlotti Beans
- Dried borlotti beans: 200 g, soaked for 8–10 hours.
- Water for boiling
- Salt: 1⁄2–1 tsp, added at the end of cooking, to taste
For the Tomato Sauce
- Carrot: 1 small, finely chopped
- Onion: 1⁄2 medium-sized, finely chopped
- Celery: 1 stalk, finely chopped
- Passata: 500ml
- Olive oil: 3–4 tbsp
- Salt: to taste
- Water: 100–200ml, if sauce needs thinning
Method
You’ll want to prepare your sauce first so it can simmer away while you’re preparing the sagne shapes.
- Prepare the beans: You should be using soaked beans, although you could also opt for the ones ready-to-eat from the tin if you needed. Once you’ve soaked them (or if you’re just opening a can) then make sure you bring them to warm. If you’ve used dried: drain them after soaking, then place them in a pot with fresh water, and bring to a gentle simmer and cook until soft — around 1 to 1½ hours, depending on the beans. When tender, season with salt. (Anna Maria added it at the end so the beans stayed creamy.) Cook until soft and set aside.
- Make the Tomato Sauce: Warm the olive oil in a wide pan. Add the carrot, onion, and celery, and cook until softened and fragrant. Pour in the passata, season lightly with salt, and add a splash of water if it seems too thick. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, adding a little more water if needed. Season to taste.
- Prepare the Sagne: On a wooden board, mound the flour and make a well in the centre. Add a little cold water and begin incorporating the flour until a firm, smooth dough forms. Knead for 5–8 minutes, then let the dough rest under a bowl for 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a thin sheet. Cut into long strips and then into short, irregular ribbons — the rustic shape Annamaria preferred.
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the sagne and cook for just a few minutes, until tender.
- Assemble the Dish (Abruzzo-Style) Anna Maria didn’t mix everything together — the dish was layered, a little like a lasagna. Spread a layer of hot sagne in a wide serving bowl. Spoon over a layer of tomato sauce and beans. Repeat the layers until you’ve used all each of your ingredients.
- Enjoy: Serve immediately from the dish. Sprinkle with cheese or herbs if desired, but if your sauce is as good as Anna Maria’s, this dish won’t need anything else.
