This recipe is based on Jane Grigson's tribute to Perry-Smith. It is from The Observer Book of British Cookery.
Don’t be startled by the amount of butter, it’s a terrific dish, rich sure, but then you only need a small portion.
The dish can be prepared well ahead and refrigerated with the glazing and baking to do at dinner time.
The Italians have a way with bean soups.
Minestrone, ribollita, pasta e fagioli, are classic Italian soups that celebrate the splendid variety and hearty flavours of dried beans. Expect to find borlotti and black-eyed beans in the more rustic soups, cannellini beans prevail when subtle flavour is required. This soup has its style origins in the refined cooking of Piedmont, home to black, and white, truffles.
