Cannellini Beans With Sweet Paprika And Garlic Food

CANNELLINI BEANS WITH SWEET PAPRIKA AND GARLIC

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.

CANNELLINI BEANS

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...

BRAISED CANNELLINI BEANS WITH ONIONS AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a 1-quart pot over a medium-high flame.
• Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly; the garlic should become aromatic and just lightly golden (do not burn it or it will taste acrid).
• Stir in the chili pepper and cook 15 more seconds.
• Add the onion and cook, still stirring, about 2 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent and soft.
• Stir in the pepper and parsley and cook 1 more minute.
• Fold in the rinsed and drained beans, and then stir in the tomato paste.
• Add enough cool water (or chicken broth if you happen to have it on hand) to cover the beans by 1/4 inch (about 1 and 1/2 cups, depending on the width of your pot).
• Season with the salt and bring to a gentle boil, uncovered.
• Cover and lower the heat to medium-low; cook for 5 minutes.
• Uncover, stir in the arugula, and cover again.
• Cook for another 15 minutes.
• Adjust the seasoning if needed and serve hot.

CANNELLINI BEANS WITH GARLIC AND SAGE

Steps:

• Place beans in large bowl. Cover with cold water (at least 6 cups) and let soak overnight.
• Drain beans. Place in heavy large pot. Add 8 cups room-temperature water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, sage, and black peppercorns. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to mediumlow; simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Mix in 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Continue to simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if needed to keep beans covered, about 30 minutes longer. Cool beans in liquid 1 hour.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to serving bowl, reserving bean cooking liquid, if desired, but discarding garlic, sage, and peppercorns. Season beans to taste with pepper and more coarse salt. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

SPICY CANNELLINI DIP

Steps:

• Blend cannellini beans, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth; add pumpkin puree, parsley, paprika, garlic, chipotle pepper, salt, and pepper. Continue to process until just blended; spoon into a mixing bowl. Gently fold salsa through the bean mixture, avoiding crushing the vegetables.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to allow flavors to blend, at least 4 hours. Stir dip and garnish with parsley leaves and paprika before serving.