Fresh shell beans are superb. A bowl of plump shell beans flavored with only olive oil, black pepper, and salt, with a glass of wine, and some crusty bread—that’s food for the gods, as David says. All sorts of varieties—cranberry, cannellini, flageolet, lima, and butter beans, crowder peas and black-eyed peas—are harvested in the summer and fall, and are becoming more common in farmers’ markets. Fresh beans will cook in 30 to 45 minutes.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Shell the beans. Put them in a large heavy pot or an earthenware bean pot, and cover with water by 2 inches. Add a splash of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, the bay leaf, and the sage leaves or sprig of rosemary or thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook gently for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender throughout. Turn off the heat, and let the beans cool down in the broth. Reheat gently when ready to serve. Pour off most of the broth (save it for soup or some other use), season the beans with salt and black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
notes
Step 2
One of my favorite pastas is made with shell beans. Gently heat olive oil, chopped garlic, and chopped rosemary or sage. Add cooked beans and some of their broth, stew briefly, and mash about half the beans to make a loose thick sauce. Cook dried pasta (bucatini or strozzapreti are two good kinds) and stir into the beans; loosen with pasta water or bean broth if needed. Add chopped wilted greens, if you like, and garnish with fresh-ground pepper and olive oil.
Step 3
Cooked beans can be combined with other vegetables to make hearty soups; served warm or as salads with green beans, wilted greens, mushrooms, or tomatoes; baked in gratins; served with roasted meats and the meat juices; or warmed with olive oil, garlic, and herbs and mashed into a purée to spread on garlic croutons (see page 37).
