Creamy Parmigiano-Braised Beans

These beans are a favorite dish I make at Ci Siamo, but this is the same way I cook them at home. Fried rosemary and sage add a little crunch, while a shower of Piave cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil elevates their humbleness. Plus, the oil-cured black olives are fun—they look like beans in the bowl at first glance, but one bite in, and you get a hit of their salty richness. For the best texture, use a mix of white, brown, and black beans since the smaller ones will break down just enough to create a velvety sauce

Serves 4

AMMAZZA! Hillary Sterling

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound (450 g) any mix dried beans, such as cranberry, flageolet, butter, cannellini, scarlet runners, or chickpeas, rinsed

• 1 to 3 Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds

• 2 fresh thyme sprigs

• 2 to 3 fresh bay leaves

• Kosher salt

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup (10 g) loosely packed fresh sage leaves, for garnish

• 1/2 cup (10 g) l loosely packed fresh rosemary leaves, for garnish

FOR SERVING

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter (optional), at room temperature

• 16 oil-cured black olives, pitted

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

• Coarsely grated Piave Vecchio cheese, for garnish

• Freshly ground coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of water to give them room to expand. Soak the beans for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Drain.

In a 5- to 8-quart pot, combine the drained beans with water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add the Parmesan rinds, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Bring the beans to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until the largest bean is tender, 2 to 4 hours. (You may have to add more water during the cooking process.) The beans should be very tender and somewhat brothy.

A few minutes before they are done, discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and rinds. Crush some of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the broth. Taste and season with salt.

Meanwhile, line a plate with paper towels and place near the stove. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add a single sage leaf to test the oil; if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Fry the sage and rosemary leaves, stirring now and thenwith a slotted spoon, until crispy and muted green in color, 30 to 90 seconds. Transfer the fried herbs to the paper towels to drain.

TO SERVE: Add 1/2 teaspoon butter (if using) and 4 olives to the bottom of each of four serving bowls. Ladle the beans into the bowls, then drizzle each with olive oil and top with Piave cheese, grinds of black pepper, and some of the fried herbs. Store leftover beans in their liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Excerpted from Ammazza! Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again. Copyright © 2026 by Hillary Sterling. Photography copyright © Kelly Puleio. Reproduced by permission of Scribner an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

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