Fagioli con le cotiche, beans with pork rind, is one of the savory dishes that accounts of Sammarinese food mention by name, a hearty dish of the cold months and of Christmas time, and one that wastes nothing of the pig. Dried beans are soaked and simmered until creamy, the rind is scraped, blanched and cooked until it turns soft and almost silky, and the two are finished together in a sauce of onion, celery, carrot and tomato. The same dish is cooked in Lazio, Umbria and elsewhere in central Italy, and every kitchen tunes it a little differently.

Pork rind sounds like a challenge and turns out to be the opposite: cooked slowly, it melts into gelatinous ribbons that give the sauce body and a gentle richness no stock cube can match. It is cheap, it is better the next day, and it is exactly what a cold spring race weekend in the hills calls for.

The beans

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) dried cannellini beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Method

1. Drain the soaked beans in the colander, rinse them under cold water and tip them into the large pot. Add the bay leaf and whole garlic clove and pour in enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches (5 cm).
2. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, skim off any grey foam with a spoon, then turn the heat down until the water barely bubbles. Set the lid half on and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding hot water if the beans start to poke above the surface. Stir in the salt for the last 15 minutes.
3. Set the colander over a large bowl and drain the beans, saving the cooking liquid. Throw away the bay leaf and garlic.

The pork rind

Ingredients

• 12 oz (340 g) pork rind (cotiche)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Method

1. Lay the rind skin side up on the cutting board. Hold the small knife almost flat and scrape it firmly along the skin from one end to the other to remove any bristles and impurities. Turn it over and trim off any thick lumps of fat, leaving a layer no thicker than 1/4 inch (5 mm). Rinse it well.
2. Put the rind in the medium saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, drain and rinse. Repeat once more with fresh water. This removes the strong porky smell.
3. Cover the rind with fresh cold water once more, add the salt and simmer gently with the lid on for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, while the beans cook.
4. Drain the rind and let it cool for 5 minutes so you can handle it. Cut it into strips about 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide and 2 inches (5 cm) long.

The tomato sauce and finishing

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) tomato passata
• to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a pinch red pepper flakes

Method

1. Wipe out the bean pot and set it over medium low heat with the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring every couple of minutes, for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary for the last 2 minutes.
2. Pour in the passata, add the pepper flakes if using, and let it simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
3. Add the beans, the strips of rind and 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of the bean cooking liquid. Stir gently so you do not crush the beans, bring back to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add more bean liquid if it gets too thick.
4. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Take the pot off the heat, cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving so the flavors settle.

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