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1
Drain the soaked borlotti beans and cover with fresh cold water by at least 5 cm. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for approximately 90 minutes, until the beans begin to collapse under gentle pressure. Do not drain: the starchy cooking liquid is the sauce. The beans are ready when they yield completely to the thumb and the liquid has thickened visibly.
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2
In a wide, heavy pan, render the lard over a moderate flame. Add the onion and celery and cook the soffritto slowly until the onion is completely soft, translucent, and just beginning to colour at the edges — this is the flavour foundation of the dish. Add the small measure of tomato and stir for two minutes until it darkens slightly in colour and loses its raw smell.
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3
Add the cooked beans and all their cooking liquid to the soffritto. Simmer together over a low flame for 15–20 minutes so the flavours consolidate. Remove roughly one-third of the beans and mash them to a rough paste, then stir this back into the pot. The sauce must coat a spoon thickly — not flow freely from it. If too thin, continue to reduce; if too thick, add a small ladleful of the bean cooking water.
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4
Make the pisarei dough. Combine the fine dry breadcrumbs and flour in a bowl. Pour the hot water over gradually, working the mixture with your hands until a cohesive, smooth dough forms — it should be soft but not sticky, with a slight tenderness from the breadcrumb. Knead briefly until uniform. This is where the dish lives or dies: a dough made with too little breadcrumb or breadcrumbs that are not fine and dry will produce gnocchi without the characteristic softness and absorptive capacity that makes pisarei distinct from every other dumpling.
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5
Roll the dough into thin ropes on a lightly floured board and cut into thumbnail-sized pieces — no larger than a chickpea. Press each piece firmly against the wooden board with your thumb, dragging it slightly toward you to create a small concave shell. The indentation must be deep enough to cup the bean sauce. Work in batches and keep the formed pisarei on a lightly floured surface.
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6
Bring the bean sauce to a gentle but active simmer. Add the pisarei directly to the sauce — not to a separate pot of water. Stir gently to prevent sticking. Simmer until the pisarei rise to the surface and are cooked through, approximately 8–12 minutes depending on size. They will have absorbed the bean sauce and the whole pot will have thickened further into a dense, unified mass. Taste for salt.
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7
Serve immediately in warmed bowls. Finish each portion with a generous amount of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil. The dish should be thick enough to hold its shape briefly in the bowl — not pour like a soup.