Postcards from My Kitchen: The Florentine Steak Feast Begins with Tuscan Beans

A Taste of Italy from My Hill Country Kitchen

As summer ripens in the Hill Country, my thoughts drift back to long, lazy evenings in Tuscany — where meals stretch across hours and are more about connection than consumption. For July's edition of Postcards from My Kitchen, I’m sharing a traditional Tuscan meal, course by course, just as it might be enjoyed around a table in Florence.

At the heart of this meal is Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a thick, flame-kissed T-bone steak, shared family-style with loved ones. But before we get to the sizzle and sear, we begin with something humbler: Tuscan Beans — creamy, earthy, and deeply fragrant with herbs like rosemary and sage.

These beans are the soul of the table. They simmer low and slow, infused with the aromatics of onion, carrot, and celery. In traditional fashion, I leave the vegetables in large chunks — they impart their flavor gently, like a whisper, and are removed before serving, leaving behind a delicate broth that clings to every bean.

There’s a beautiful simplicity to Tuscan cooking — it leans on quality ingredients and time-honored technique. These beans are no exception. Whether you're nestled in a farmhouse near Siena or here with me in my Hill Country kitchen, they bring the same comfort: honest, nourishing, and meant to be shared.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll build this meal together: next up, Italian-style roasted potatoes — golden and crisp with garlic and herbs — and finally, the Florentine steak itself, grilled to perfection. This entire spread is traditionally served family-style, perfect for two to four people gathered around a table, laughing, sipping wine, and savoring the moment.

So pour yourself a glass of Brunello, pull out your favorite Dutch oven, and let’s begin where every good meal starts — with something slow and soulful.

Recipe: Tuscan Beans (Fagioli all’Uccelletto – My Way)

With grace, grit & gratitude,

xx, JeriLynne

Tuscan Beans

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Tuscan Beans

Ingredients

1 pound dried white beans, like cannellini

1 onion, peeled and cut in half

2 carrots, washed and cut in half

1 celery rib, washed and cut in half

4 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled

3 fresh sage stems, divided

2 fresh rosemary stems

2 fresh thyme stems

Diamond Crystal salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 lemon, juiced

Method

The night before, soak beans with water covering them by an inch. Prior to cooking, dump off the water and remove any beans that floated.

In a dutch oven add the beans, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. With some kitchen string tie together the 2 stems of sage, rosemary and thyme and put in the pot. Cover the beans by 2 inches of water. Bring the beans to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to medium-low and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally until beans are tender.

Turn off the heat. If the beans didn’t absorb all of the liquid, you can remove some of the liquid. Remove the onion, carrots, celery and tied herbs. Find the garlic and you can squeeze it out into the beans if you like, if not you can toss.

Add the remaining sage, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and juice of the lemon.