My beloved Yolo fruit stand had cranberry beans for 1.49 a pound, so I brought some home and pondered what to do with them. I thought that Marcella could probably tell me what to do, so I pulled out the Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and looked them up. Lo and behold, these beans are the classic bean to use in pasta e fagioli. I didn't have all the ingredients (like ham hocks or broth), but I used what I had. Look at those beautiful beans! Like Easter eggs.
Here's what I did: sauteed a chopped onion in olive oil. Threw in 4 garden tomatoes and simmered for ten minutes. Just these three ingredients simmering together smelled divine. Threw in a couple of cups of the shelled beans for about three minutes, then added a bunch of water. Let it simmer, covered for about 45 minutes. At that point, I threw in some garden zucchini chunks, and let it go for another ten. Then, throw in some pasta (half a box was too much, a third might have been better), and let it cook until still firm to the bit. Top with grated parmesan.
In the book Marcella kind of scoffs at the notion of dried cranberry beans, but notes that fresh beans can be frozen with no ill effects. I already started a stock of them in the freezer.
One of Marcella's later books, Marcella Cucina has a recipe for really simple cranberry beans that I love: just simmer them in a little water with a good deal of olive oil, some sage leaves, and a few cloves of garlic. Just those with crusty bread and some arugula is one of my favorite dinners. (I've made them with dried beans, too--not quite the same but still good.)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds really good. Sage would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about those things. I'll pick some up this weekend--I actually have a few pig's feet/hocks in my freezer so I'll let you know how that works out.
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