Another masterpiece of nature cultivated in Alta Tuscia (Upper Tuscia) between Gradoli and Onano: the Round Bean of Purgatory.
This type of bean has risked becoming extinct due to the difficulty of production and the low yield of the plants but, fortunately for us and the chefs, it has managed to create a space between the more prestigious crops.
Many think that the beans come from the discovery of America, while in reality Colombus has brought us only some simpler varieties to grow that have put local production into difficulty.
We go to the supermarket and find 3-4 varieties of beans, while when we travel around Italy, we can find hundreds of more tasty and unique flavours.
Alta Tuscia was an area of Etruscans, and in their kitchen the beans were ground to make sauces to accompany the meat. So we can say that beans have accompanied the growth of populations thanks to their high nutritional value.
In particular in Gradoli, the 14th century City Statutes dedicate a section to the bean which is also the main protagonist of a tradition that has continued since 1600: The Purgatory Lunch.
From the fourteenth century, on Ash Wednesday, the Confraternity of Purgatory, to celebrate the end of the Carnival and the beginning of the fasting period, organises a lunch in memory of the fallen of a revolt against the heavy harassment imposed by the Papacy.
They prayed for the mercy of their souls in Purgatory.
One of the traditional dishes was and is the local bean boiled and seasoned with oil, pepper and salt. This bean therefore takes its name from the Confraternity and from the tradition of the Purgatory Lunch.
In the eighteenth century it was so precious that it was even used as a kind of money: payment for mass and donations made to the faithful.
The purgatory bean is a small white bean with a very thin skin and a delicate flavour that does not need prolonged soaking. An hour is enough and cooking is also short.
Traditionally, they should be boiled by flavouring the water with laurel, sage and garlic and then seasoning with extra virgin olive oil from the area.
I prepared a cream using beans and asparagus stalks, always grown in Tuscia.
Purgatory Beans and Asparagus Cream Recipe
After boiling the beans, I took the asparagus, and I removed the tips and cut the stalks. In my case there is no need to boil them because I used the asparagine, the long and thin one.
In a saucepan I put the chopped spring onions, the asparagus stalks I browned, then I put in the beans leaving some to put whole on the plate.
I flavoured then extended it with hot water. Once cooked I blended everything creating a perfumed cream.
In another pan I flavoured the asparagus tips with sunflower seeds, fresh thyme, pepper, whole beans and a splash of oil.
To serve, I poured the bean cream into the bowl and added the asparagus tips.
In the glass? A wine from Sergio Mottura, a dry Orvieto is perfect, a combination of Procanico, Verdello and Grechetto grapes that goes perfectly with this dish.
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