Beans

Pot of Beans¶

MAKES 6 CUPS

Making homemade beans is hardly laborious; it just requires a little foresight. Some say it’s unnecessary, but I find soaking dried beans before cooking them is essential to a shorter cooking time (not to mention easing beans’ notoriously noisy side effect). An overnight soak is ideal, but the quick-soak method noted here is good in a pinch. The time it takes to cook a pot of beans can take anywhere from 45 minutes to upwards of 2 hours depending on the type, size, and age of the bean you’re cooking (chickpeas in particular take a while). The method will always be the same, though, so you can use this recipe for any variety of dried bean. I just happen to use cannellini beans the most, in no small part because of Ucceletto Beans and Ribollita. My quick-soak method: Add the beans to a large pot and cover them with water by 4 inches. Salt the water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, remove from the heat and let sit for 1 hour covered. Drain and rinse.

Ingredients

1 pound dried cannellini beans (or any dried bean)
Fine sea salt
1 head garlic
1 bunch fresh sage
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Freshly cracked black pepper (optional)
Add the beans to a large bowl and cover them with water by at least 4 inches. Add enough salt so the water tastes like the sea. Let sit overnight (at least 12 hours) at room temperature.
The next day, drain the beans, put them in a very large pot, and add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches. Remove any loose, papery outer layers from the head of garlic and cut off about 1⁄4 inch of the stem end to expose the cloves. Add the head of garlic and the sage to the pot.
Cook the beans gently over medium heat, adjusting the temperature so the water bubbles just occasionally. When the beans soften, but are not quite tender, give them a taste. If more salt is needed, add it now so the beans will finish cooking in properly seasoned liquid. Continue cooking until they are soft and creamy. The time will vary, but I start checking them after 30 minutes and generally find that they’re done somewhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes.
Serve the beans warm with olive oil and black pepper. Or cool the beans, put them in a glass storage container, and add enough of their cooking liquid to fully submerge them. Store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Ucceletto Beans¶

SERVES 6

My annual cooking class at Montecastelli in Italy always kicks off with a quintessential Tuscan feast, and without fail, the knockout dish is ucceletto beans with pork sausage. To cook beans ucceletto-style is to cook them “in the manner of little birds.” It’s a reference to sage, rosemary, tomato, and garlic—the ingredients traditionally used to cook squab and quail in Italy. These beans are simple, homey, and pretty glorious. You can easily make this into a one-pan meal by browning a few links of sausage and adding the ucceletto beans (cooked with all the juice from the can of tomatoes) to the pan to stew with the sausages.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
4 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 packed tablespoon)
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped, half the juice from the can reserved
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups cooked cannellini beans, or 21⁄2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1⁄4 cup of bean cooking liquid or water
In a cold, large high-sided skillet, combine the olive oil and garlic, then turn the heat to high. As soon as the garlic shows the slightest tinge of brown, about 2 minutes in, stir in the tomatoes and the reserved juice. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes to concentrate the flavors and reduce the liquid. Add the sage, rosemary, and a generous amount of pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the beans and their cooking liquid (or 1⁄4 cup water, if using canned beans). Cook until there’s no liquid pooling on the bottom of the pan and the sauce coats and sticks to the beans, about 5 minutes. Serve warm, dressed with pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Beans and Greens¶

SERVES 4 TO 6

Due to the dish’s simplicity, value, and hearty goodness, virtually every culture I can think of has its own version of beans and greens. The version I know best is Italian- style escarole and cannellini beans, though I often use red kidney beans for their ability to hold their shape and absorb flavors really well. The key ingredients here are the ones you barely notice: Anchovies add the undeniable tastiness of umami and the starchy bean liquid helps to bring the beans and tender greens together. Aside from being a speedy dish to put together, it easily adapts to whatever beans and hardy greens you have on hand. Cannellini beans, chickpeas, kale, mustard greens, and dandelion greens have all found their way into this—with great results.

2 olive oil–packed anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large head escarole, core discarded, leaves washed and coarsely chopped
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked red kidney beans, or 11⁄2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1⁄4 cup of bean cooking liquid or water
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
Mince the anchovies and mash into a smooth paste with the flat side of a large heavy knife. Add it to a large skillet with the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the anchovy melts into the oil and the garlic just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the escarole, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high. Using tongs, toss the greens to coat them in the oil. Cook until the escarole is wilted and has released a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
Add the kidney beans and their cooking liquid (or water, if using canned beans) and toss. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the greens are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Top each serving with black pepper and freshly grated Parmesan.

Ribollita¶

SERVES 8

Another of Hearth’s greatest hits and my all-time favorite soup, ribollita is among the first recipes I earmarked for this book. I’ve waxed poetic about this Tuscan soup for years, but I’ve recently come to appreciate it as an ideal good food day meal. Ribollita is delicious, hearty perfection—a well-balanced meal of tender vegetables and plump cannellini beans in a thick, hearty soup. It’s traditionally made with a lot of bread, but I swap in extra cannellini beans for more heft. I want to take a swan dive into it every time its aroma fills the kitchen. You don’t want to hurry this soup along. Stewing the cabbage and kale in their own juices for 20 minutes is a crucial step to developing the deep flavor of good ribollita. You’ll be grateful to have leftovers, so make a big pot—it’s even better the next day.

To get the Tuscan kale to disperse throughout the soup, it needs to be chopped into very small pieces. You can chop it by hand, but I go an easier route by freezing the bunches of kale overnight. A night in the freezer makes the kale brittle, so you can crumble the leaves into a million pieces. Then just discard the thick center ribs.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups diced yellow onions
3 cups diced carrots
3 cups diced celery
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head savoy cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 bunches Tuscan kale, finely chopped or crumbled (about 8 cups; see note)
10 cups Chicken Broth or water
5 cups cooked cannellini beans, or 31⁄2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans,
rinsed and drained
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
Fresh thyme leaves, for serving
In a very large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt, and stir to coat the vegetables with the oil. Cover and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften but have not developed any browning, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the savoy cabbage, cover, and cook until it begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring to combine it with the vegetables. Reduce the heat to low, add the kale, and stir well. Cover the pot and stew the vegetables until they’re tender, about 20 minutes. Add the broth or water, increase the heat, and bring the soup to a boil.
While the soup is coming to a boil, puree 3 cups of the beans in a blender or food

Mexican Bean Salad¶

via https://www.liveeatlearn.com/mamas-famous-bean-salad/

Beans: All the beans! We’ll use a combination of red beans (either pinto or kidney) and black beans.
Pepper: All the peppers! Jalapeno brings zing while red bell pepper adds crunch.
Corn: Fresh, from a can, or even frozen. Anything goes!
Onion: We’ll use red onions, but you could also use shallots.
Cilantro: Negotiably the most important ingredient. Don’t skimp on this one!
Vinegar dressing: Tying everything together with a quick spiced vinegar dressing.

Dressing¶

½ cup white vinegar 120 mL
¼ cup vegetable oil 60 mL
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Salad¶

2 15-oz cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can corn drained
1 red bell pepper diced
½ medium red onion seeded and diced
2 jalapenos seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro

Prep¶

Dressing: Whisk together the Dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Salad: Toss together the Salad ingredients.
Combine: Mix the dressing into the salad mixture. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to mix (can skip this step if necessary). Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.