WHITE BEANS WITH TOMATOES, GARLIC, AND SAGE

Steps:

• 1. Bring the beans, onion, carrot, garlic head, 1 teaspoon salt, bay leaves, and 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are almost tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours, adding more liquid if necessary. Remove the pot from the heat, completely cover, and let stand until the beans are fully tender, 30 to 60 minutes. Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Remove and discard the onion, carrot, and bay leaves. With a slotted spoon, transfer the head of garlic to a cutting board. Using tongs, squeeze the cloves out of the skins and return the softened cloves to the pot with the beans; discard the skins. 2. Heat the olive oil, thinly sliced garlic, and sage in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. As the oil begins to sizzle, shake the pan back and forth so that the garlic does not stick (stirring with a wooden spoon will cause the garlic to clump). Cook until the garlic turns very pale gold and the sage darkens, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomato juices have evaporated and the tomatoes look shiny, about 10 minutes. 3. Stir in the beans and reserved cooking liquid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, 18 to 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, ­accompanied by extra-virgin olive oil for ­drizzling at the table.