Lise’s Blog: Tuscan White Beans – From the Barefoot Contessa’s ‘How Easy is That?’ Cookbook

Feb 2, 2011 by Lise Amos

Tuscan White Beans – From the Barefoot Contessa’s How Easy is That? Cookbook

Recently I read the Four-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, and if I learned anything, it’s that beans and meat can live together. In fact it’s recommended for a “slow-carb” diet. My husband and I have done the “low-to-no carb” diet for a long time, and at one point I thought I never wanted to see another piece of meat again. Especially beef. I was thrilled when I realized I could get to the rarely-opened pages of some of my favorite cookbooks again.

1 lb dried white cannellini beans

¼ cup good olive oil

4 cups chopped fennel, stalks and fronds and core removed (2 large)

2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)

1 Tbs minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade – I use turkey stock from the freezer that I made at Christmas. I’ve also used just white wine. I think the flavor of wine is more interesting.

1 Tbs minced fresh sage leaves – I use dried – same amount – when I don’t have fresh.

1 Tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves – I use dried – same amount – when I don’t have fresh.

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano – Shredded from the deli section of the grocery store is fine.

The night before, soak the beans in a large bowl with water to cover by at least 2 inches. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I love a crockpot for this job. I put the beans in 2 to 3 times the amount of water as there are beans, and cook on high for about five hours. You can cook them more slowly on low – 7-8 hours. My friend, Lisa Groves, recommends adding a piece of kombu (a type of seaweed) known for its ability to remove the gaseous effect from beans. I always do this now – don’t forget to remove the kombu when the beans are done. Once I thought someone put a sock in the pot when I wasn’t looking. It has a tendency to grow when exposed to water.

When in a real hurry – when I’m craving legumes and have no time – I use a pressure cooker for 15-20 minutes. I up the water a teeny bit more and still use the kombu. Legume purists would say this is no way to cook a bean, but it does work. The biggest time-saver? Canned. But make them organic (and be sure to rinse all those bubbles away, first. That’s the gassy part).

The next day, drain the beans, rinse them well, and place them in a large stockpot. Add twice as much water as you have beans, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, until beans are very tender. Skim off any foam that accumulates. No need for this step if you use a crock pot or pressure cooker.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the fennel and carrots and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Drain the beans and add them to the vegetables. Add the chicken stock, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes, until creamy. Stir in the Pecorino, season to taste, and serve hot.

A note about chopping vegetables: If you have a food processor like a Cuisine Art, chunk up the veggies and put them all in the processor bowl – carrots, fennel and garlic – and pulse several times until veggies are about the same size as the beans or a little bigger. This saves a huge amount of time, also.

If you take shortcuts, this recipe and any derivation of it (any bean, any vegetable or meat, any spices), can be made from scratch and by heart before you know it.

Serve by itself or with hearty, crusty bread, with sausages (chicken-apple would be yummy), a dark green-leaf salad and a glass of white wine.