If you do use tinned, loosen the water in the tin with chicken or vegetable stock. Tinned work just fine, especially if you’re in a hurry (Contaldo’s recipe can be on the table in half an hour), but dried are a better alternative, simply because you can flavour them as you like during cooking, and use the cooking water to make a really beany broth, of which more later. However, as the season draws to a close, they’re not the most practical recommendation. Happily, I find fresh, candy-spotted borlotti without too much trouble, and can confirm that they are truly worth tracking down ( or planting for next year): plump and nutty, they’re a quite superior product to the dried kind. Contaldo recommends tinned in his Pasta Perfecto!, though, “time permitting”, you could use dried “if you prefer” Galletto’s recipe, “alla montanara”, deploys dried “large white beans, called fagioli di Spagna in Italian”, and, I assume, butter beans in English. Outside their summer season, dried, as used by Anna, one of the nonnas in the new Pasta Grannies book, and Norman in his book Polpo, are a “wholly satisfactory substitute”. When cooked, she says, “its flavour is unlike that of any other bean, subtly recalling chestnuts”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this universally popular dish can be made with a number of different beans – Marcella Hazan calls borlotti, “brightly marbled in white and pink”, the “classic” variety in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, recommending the fresh sort when in season. Let all rest for 5 minutes, then serve in warm soup bowls, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Grana Padano.Lucio Galletto’s version: one of the few dishes that unify Italy’. While the soup is resting, cook the ditalini or elbow pasta in salted water until very al dente. Let the soup rest off the heat, covered, 10 to 15 minutes. Cook the soup another 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to blend. Return the pureed beans to the pot.įish out the potatoes to a plate, mash them coarsely with a fork, and return them to the pot. If you must, you can stir the beans a bit to speed up the cooling process.) Process the beans and liquid in a food processor or blender until creamy. (Wait until the beans cool completely before blending or processing hot beans can cause splatters. Ladle about one third of the beans, along with enough cooking liquid to cover them, into a baking dish or other shallow container where they will cool quickly. Cook until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a slow boil. Pour two ladlefuls of the bean-cooking water into the skillet and bring to a boil, then pour the contents of the skillet back into the soup pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then scrape in the bacon-garlic paste and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Process the bacon and garlic to a paste in a food processor, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Let cook while preparing the sautéed vegetables. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then adjust the heat to a gentle boil. Add the drained beans, potatoes, rosemary and bay leaves. Pour 6 quarts water into a tall, large (at least 10-quart) pot. Let soak in a cool place at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Cold–soak the beans in advance: Dump the beans into a 2- to 3-quart container and pour in enough cold water to cover them by at least 4 inches.
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