Cannellini Bean Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl filled with water.
• *Soooooooooooo...if you didn't think yesterday to soak your beans you can do the "quick soak" method. Put the beans in a large pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat off and let the pot sit until the water cools down, then proceed as if you had soaked the beans overnight.
• Strain the beans from the soaking water. Put the beans in a large pot and cover generously with water. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay and slab bacon Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until all the beans are soft, about 1 hour. Add more water if it reduces too much. Test the beans for doneness by doing the 5 bean test. Bite into 5 beans, if they are all soft then they are done. Beans do not all cook at the same rate so the 5 bean test is important.
• When the beans pass the 5 bean test, remove the pot from the heat. Season the water generously with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. If using the beans right away, go ahead. If not using the beans right away, store them covered, in the refrigerator in their liquid.
• Beans, beans the musical fruit...

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a grill pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (plus juices), beans, kale and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the kale has wilted, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While the stew is cooking, place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Add the sausages and grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Remove the pan from the oven and add the cooked sausage slices. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spoon the stew into bowls and serve.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and garlic, and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add beans, lemon juice, salt, pepper, italian seasonings, and a splash of white wine, and cook, stirring until softened and warmed through and liquid has reduced, about 3 minutes.
• Serve warm with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• If using dried beans, soak overnight, discard soaking water. Add beans to pot, cover with water by several inches. Add 1/2 onion (coarsly chopped), and 3-4 bay leaves. Simmer until soft (about 45 minutes). When done, drain in sink.
• While beans are cooking, cut sausage in half lengthwise, then cut into half-moon slices. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in heavy Dutch oven, sauté sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. When done, remove to bowl.
• Add chopped onion to pot, sauté for 2 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. After 2 minutes, add chopped garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and juice, dried oregano, dried marjoram, and chicken stock to pot with onions and garlic. Add sausage back to pot and cook at a low simmer about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, add drained beans and simmer 15 minutes more. (If the mixture seems too dry at this point, add a bit more chicken stock.).
• Add chopped basil and balsamic vinegar and simmer 5 minutes more. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve hot with freshly grated parmasean (Romano works nicely as well).

Steps:

• Rinse and drain the can of white kidney beans, or if you prefer to use dried beans, cook 2/3 dry cup of them ahead of time. Use 1 whole egg, or separate two eggs, discarding the yolks.
• Put everything on the list into your food processor and chop until you reach the desired consistency-- a total puree, or a rougher chop that still has some whole pieces of beans in there.
• Scoop the mixture into a bowl and refridgerate for 20-30 minutes, it's okay if it stays in longer.
• Form patties with your hands, you'll get 4 large ones or 6 smaller ones (which I prefer because I eat them on English muffins.).
• Heat some olive oil on a frying pan, adding more as needed (mine tends to evaporate after a few minutes) to cook each patty for about 6-7 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• Serve on your favorite buns/breads with the fixings you like. I particularly like these with ketchup or marinara sauce.

Steps:

• Prep the beans:
• Look over the beans and pick out any small rocks or dirt clods that may be lurking among them. Rinse the beans in a colander and then put them in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and leave them overnight on the counter (or in the fridge if the weather is hot).
• Cook the beans:
• The next day, drain the beans and rinse them off a little, then transfer to a large saucepan, cover them by a couple of inches with fresh water and put them on high heat.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt to the beans (some don't; I do. The simple reason: Beans cooked with salt taste better than beans cooked without salt. Flavor trumps.) Add your desired aromatics (the more of these aromatics you add, the more delicious the beans, and their cooking liquid, will be).
• Bring the pot of beans to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and skim off any foam with a ladle. Taste the water for salt, add more if needed, and cook, stirring infrequently but checking more often and adding water as needed, until beans are very tender but not, hopefully, falling apart. This will take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the beans. Taste five or six beans to be sure that they are all really cooked and not at all chalky.
• Remove and discard any large vegetables or aromatics from the pot, leaving the beans in their liquid.
• To finish:
• In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat oil and sauté diced onion with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very tender and just slightly colored, about 15 minutes. Add paprika and garli; cook, stirring, until garlic turns fragrant but doesn't color at all, about 30 seconds.
• If the beans are underwater, pour off excess liquid into a separate container (save it for soup) so that beans are only partially covered. Stir the onion mixture into the beans, and season with salt. Serve topped with ground pepper.