Grandmom's Christmas Eve Beans, aka Fagioli All'uccelletto, Tuscan Beans

Ingredients:

1 pound dried white beans, Great Northern

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

1 leek, sliced thin

1-pound can diced tomatoes including juices

2 tbs chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp dried

Preparation:

In a large saucepan soak beans in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans in a colander and return to saucepan with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Simmer beans, covered, until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and drain beans in colander. In a heavy kettle cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Add reserved cooking liquid, beans, tomatoes with juice, sage, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 minutes.

English Scones (Dad’s Christmas morning scones)

 

Chocolate chips

8 oz. (1-3/4 cups) all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tbs sugar

4 oz (8 tbs) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/3 inch cubes

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tbs turbinado sugar and cinnamon

 

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in an electric mixer.  Add the butter and mix just until coated with flour.  The butter chunks should remain fairly large – no less than half their original size.  Add chips.  With the mixer set on a slow speed, add 2/3 cup of the buttermilk and mix until just absorbed.  Stop mixing when the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. 

 

Scrape the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball.  With well-floured fingers, pat the dough into a 7-inch diameter disk.  Cut the disk into quarters and then again into eighths.  Set the scones on a baking sheet line with kitchen parchment and brush the tops with the remaining buttermilk.  Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and cinnamon and bake until well browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.