1 cup borlotti beans (cranberry beans)

1 carrot

1 rib celery

2 shallots peeled, one left whole and one minced

2 garlic cloves, one left whole and one minced

2 bay leaves

3 ounces salt pork (cottene di maiale)

12 ounces Vialone nanno or Carnaroli rice

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

1/2 cup Barbera or other red wine

Salt and pepper

Soak the beans the night before. Next day, drain the beans and transfer them to a 2-quart soup pot. Add the carrot, celery, whole shallot, whole clove garlic, and bay leaves. Cover with water and cook them for 45 minutes to an hour. They should remain al dente. Let them cool in the liquid.

In a small skillet cook the salt pork until it begins to release its fat. Add the minced shallot and garlic and cook over low heat until they soften. Stir in the rice and toast it over medium heat. Stir in the tomato sauce. Stir in the wine and allow it to evaporate. Add 5 to 6 ladles of the reserved bean broth and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Do not stir the rice too much. Keep adding broth until the rice is almost cooked. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cooked beans. When rice is almost cooked, stir in the remaining beans, the salame, and a good grinding of black pepper.