Escarole and Beans

Vegetables and Sides

Escarole and Beans

Chef's Note: Creamy, white cannellini beans are everywhere in Tuscan cooking. Made into smooth spreads for crostini, stuffed into vegetables, pureed into soups, and added as fillers for salads, this bean is king in Tuscan kitchens. Scarola e fagioli (escarole and beans) is an old recipe, once considered a poor dish, that now finds its way on the menus of upscale restaurants. Use dried white kidney, Great Northern, or borlotti beans for this energy-packed dish.

• 1/2 cup dried white kidney beans
• 1 head escarole (about l 1/4 pounds), leaves separated and well-washed
• 1/3 cup California Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Coarse black pepper to taste
• 8 oil-cured black olives, pitted and minced
• Toasted bread slices (optional)

Soak the beans overnight covered with water. The next day, drain the beans, put them in a pot, cover with water, and cook them until the skins slip off easily when pressed between your fingers. Drain the beans and set aside.

Put the escarole in a large sauté pan, cover the pan, and wilt the leaves over low heat. Drain the escarole and squeeze out most of the water. Coarsely chop it and set it aside.

In the same sauté pan, heat the olive oil, add the onions, and cook them over medium heat until they are very soft. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and the escarole, and continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the olives and the beans.

Serve hot as an accompaniment to meat or fish, or serve as an antipasto over slices of toasted bread.

Recipe credit: Ciao Italia in Tuscany (St. Martin's Press, 2003), by Mary Ann Esposito.

Reprinted with permission from the publisher.

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