The “dry beans” the CSA received this week was a variety known as cranberry beans. These pink speckled beans are delicious for just about anything, like soups and pastas; but our good friend and CSA member, Chip, has shared his best recipe for them, which he learned when in Italy through his many conversations about the food. Enjoy!
“Fagioli alla romana”
In Rome one would typically buy a kilo of borlotti (cranberry beans) in their shells or half a kilo of shelled beans.
To prepare:
Place the shelled fresh beans in a heavy-bottomed pot and cover generously with water. Add half a medium onion, chopped, salt (perhaps a tablespoon), and a substantial stalk of celery, including leaves if it has them, or the equivalent. (The celery is very important.) Simmer slowly until the beans are cooked, about 45-60 min. Take off the heat. Let the beans cool in the cooking water, leaving the celery in the pot until the beans are cool. The celery can then be taken out and the beans drained. After cooking they will be good for nearly a week.
Drizzle them with a little olive oil to serve as an antipasto or vegetable at room temperature.
For a summery main course, mix together the cooked beans and a can of good quality tuna packed in olive oil. Drain the tuna before mixing with the beans.
This is about 2lbs (about 2 quarts shelled)
