I like many things.
Hyperbole is one of those things.
However, having admitted that...
Giuliano Bugialli's Tuscan beans with tuna and pancetta may be my favorite meal in the whole world.
Yes.
I've played around with the recipe a bit, but the basics are his... and ever amazing.
I make a double recipe because these freeze very well. But I have to admit, there's not a lot left to freeze once I start wolfing this down!
Soak a pound of cannellini beans overnight. Drain and rinse them.
Preheat your oven to 400° and, in a large heavy pot (this is the moment to use Le Creuset if you have it), combine the beans, 4-5 cups water, a few big sprigs of sage from the garden, a lot of chopped garlic, 2-3t salt, and about 1/3 C EVOO.
One of my big variations comes now: instead of pancetta, I buy prosciutto ends from my butcher. These are too small for pretty slices, so they'll often sell you chunks for far less than the cost of regular prosciutto! I cut it up in small dice and add it to the pot...
Cover the pot and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender. Remove the cover and simmer on the stove a bit more until it starts to thicken. Add some canned or bagged (worlds better!) tuna, some lemon juice or zest, and a ton of black pepper.
With a good baguette, a hearty red...
This will send you to Tuscany for about 1/1,000,000th of the cost.
Well. Hyperbole is one of those things.