Boiled beans, Florence style

To boil beans seems easy, but in order to get an excellent result you should follow certain rules of preparation. First of all, when using dried beans, don’t put them in water to soak. on the contrary, they must be put directly on the flame, possibly in a clay pan: with little cold water, some cloves of garlic and a couple of stalks of fresh sage. Cover the pan with another pan having the same diameter and containing water. The vapour coming out from the pan with the beans will heat the water of the second pan, which you will add to the beans as soon as they get dry (you must pay attention as the water must be added only when the previous one has evaporated, but of course, before the beans stick on the bottom). It’s difficult to fix the cooking time as it depends on the quality of the beans: generally it takes from 2 to 3 hours, always on a low flame, taking care that beans simmer all the time. However, beans are done only when they begin to be slightly mashed. Add salt only during the last 30 minutes cooking time. Drain and season them with olive-oil and freshly ground pepper.
Now it’s time to take the Bottarga out of the fridge and grate it copiously over the already seasoned beans.