Bathie’s Cookbook Club: Danielle Alvarez Cooks Finale Nov. 29
Chef Danielle Alvarez joins Chris Bath on November 29 for the last Bathie's Cookbook Club of 2026 on ABC Radio Sydney. Listeners are invited to cook her Tuscan baked beans first, then call in with how it went. The recipe uses cannellini beans, fresh tomatoes and pancetta.
Chef Danielle Alvarez will join Chris Bath on ABC Radio Sydney on Sunday, November 29, for the final Bathie's Cookbook Club of 2026. They will talk about her latest cookbook, Made Simple.
The club runs on ABC Radio Sydney and across New South Wales. Listeners cook a featured dish at home, then phone in during the show to say how it turned out.
The homework: Tuscan baked beans
This round's dish is Alvarez's Tuscan baked beans. The number to call during the show is 1300 222 702.
Tuscany is known for its love of cannellini beans, which is why they are often called Tuscan white beans. This casserole flecks them with pancetta and adds big juicy tomatoes and fragrant rosemary. The recipe suggests serving it with a green salad for a hearty, rich meal.
What goes in
The beans need 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) of large ripe juicy tomatoes and 60 g (2 oz) of diced pancetta or streaky bacon. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and two 400 g (14 oz) tins of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
Garlic goes into both the base and the topping. The topping combines 1 cup (60 g) of sourdough breadcrumbs with finely chopped leaves from two rosemary sprigs.
How it comes together
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) conventional, or 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Halve the tomatoes through the middle and squeeze out the seeds. Grate the cut side on the large holes of a box grater, leaving the skin behind, to make a pulp.
Set a large oven-safe, flameproof pan over medium heat. Sauté the pancetta with olive oil for about 3–4 minutes, until some fat renders and the pieces crisp.
Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and tomato pulp with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the beans and half a tin of water, toss, and bring to a simmer.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. If your pan is not oven-safe, move the beans to a shallow baking dish about 23 cm (9 inches) across.
Toss the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and scatter them over the beans. Bake another 15–20 minutes to crisp the crumbs. A few minutes under a hot grill will brown the top faster, but watch it closely so it does not burn.
Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature.
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