Occhiolina Beans with a Aromatic Vegetables |
Serves 8-10 |
For all of the ingredients, please use only those that are organic or pesticide free. |
|
1 pound |
occhiolina beans, falgeolet, cannellini, or navy will work fine |
1 |
sweet onion, peeled and cut into quarters |
4 |
garlic cloves, unpeeled |
2 |
celery stalks, cut into thirds |
1 |
bay leaf |
|
sea salt |
|
Mirepoix |
1-2 tablespoons |
olive oil |
1 |
sweet onion, thinly slice |
2-3 |
carrots, peeled and sliced into thin coins |
2 |
celery stalks, thinly sliced |
4 sprigs |
fresh thyme leaves |
|
sea salt or flaky finishing salt such at maldon or Himalayan |
|
freshly ground black pepper |
|
extra virgin olive oil |
|
Prepare the beans |
|
Rinse and pick through the dry beans. Remove any small stones or beans that appear unseemly. |
Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with purified water. Allow to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. |
During the soaking time, the beans will have absorbed most of the water and will have plumped considerably. Drain the beans in a colander. |
Transfer the beans to a large sauce pan or dutch oven and cover with fresh purified water by about 2 inches. Set over high heat. |
Add the onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaf to the beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the beans are tender. This should take 60-90 minutes. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface during cooking and add water if necessary. When the beans are fully cooked, there should be a scant amount of liquid remaining in the pot. |
When the beans are nearly finished cooking, go ahead and add the salt. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon and add more as needed. I used a bit less than 2 teaspoons. |
Cool to room temperature. Remove the vegetables from the beans. |
|
Prepare the mirepoix |
|
Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently to prevent them from burning. |
Add the carrots and celery and continue to saute for another 10-15 minutes until they are fork tender. Season with sea salt and pepper and allow to cool to room temperature. |
Add the cooled mirepoix to the cooled and seasoned beans along with about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Gently stir to combine. |
Serve at room temperature, cold, or warm with anything you desire or completely on its own. |