Ingredients

Method

For the beans:
• 250 g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
• 2 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 4 leeks, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 T thyme
• 2 cups cream
• ½ cup beef stock
• salt, to taste
• 2 T-bones (550 g), at room temperature
• 6 T butter
• 1 t ground green peppercorns
• 3 T balsamic vinegar

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the beans, drain and simmer in fresh water for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the butter and the olive oil in an ovenproof pan. Add the leeks and cook until soft and slightly coloured. Add the beans, garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and stock and season. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling.

3. To make the steak, rub the steaks with 2 T butter and the pepper. Heat a grill pan until smoking hot and cook the steaks for 5 minutes on one side until caramelised. Turn and cook for a few more minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and loosely cover with foil to rest. Heat the remaining butter and balsamic vinegar in a pan until the butter is melted. Whisk to combine.

5. To serve, cut the steak off the bone and arrange the meat around the bone on top of the beans. Drizzle over the butter

Cook's note: Tuscans are particularly fond of their soups (try Hannah Lewry’s ribollita on page 66 of the July issue, on sale now) and bean-based dishes – the locals are often called mangiafagioli or bean eaters. Try garlicky, creamy cannellinis with our classic Florentine steak. Finish your meal with a sweet delicacy from Siena, famous for its ancient recipes including the 16th-century cavallucci – delicious with a young Chianti

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