Savory Beans Recipes

Steps:

• Put the beans in Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Add 8 cups water and place pot over high heat. Stick 1 whole clove into each onion half. Add onion, bay leaves, carrot, garlic, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to a bare simmer and cover with lid ajar. (The slow simmer keeps the beans from bursting.) After 30 minutes, taste the bean broth, and add salt as necessary. Cook for about another 30 minutes, but check for tenderness after 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let beans cool in their cooking liquid. (You may cook the beans several hours, or up to 1 day, in advance.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the lamb: With a sharp paring knife, make 24 small slits over the surface of the lamb. Using your fingers, push a garlic sliver into each slit.
• Season the leg generously all over with kosher salt, then sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil, and massage oil and seasonings all over the meat. Leave at room temperature for at least an hour. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate the seasoned leg for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Heat oven to 475 degrees. In a sturdy roasting pan, arrange the onions and celery. Lay down the thyme and rosemary branches and set the lamb leg on top. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then add wine to the pan and turn heat to 350 degrees. Continue cooking, basting the roast occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 for medium, which will take up to 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the roast to a cutting board and keep warm, tented with foil, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the onions, celery, thyme and rosemary from the roasting pan and discard. Skim fat from surface of pan juices.
• Set pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust with a splash of water if the pan juices are too salty.
• While lamb is resting, boil carrots in well-salted water until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, toss with butter and keep warm.
• Reheat the beans in their broth, then drain reserving bean broth for another use. Remove and discard onion, bay leaves, carrot, garlic and thyme. Put beans in a warm serving dish. Toss beans gently with the parsley, chives, lemon zest, olive oil and pepper. Reheat pan juices, strain and pour into a serving vessel.
• Carve the lamb and arrange on serving platter along with the carrots. Garnish with watercress, if desired.

Steps:

• Wash and pick over beans. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
• Add bay leaf, garlic, onion and parsley to the beans. Bring to a boil again. Cover loosely and simmer for 45 minutes, or until beans are just tender. Note: the times will vary with the type of bean you choose. Drain, if necessary. Put beans in 1 1/2-quart casserole.
• Meanwhile, saute celery in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add pickles, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir mixture into beans. Cover. Bake at 250° for 2 hours. Uncover. Sprinkle with the cheese. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients; add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 13-15 minutes or until bacon is cooked. Drain.

Steps:

• In a dutch over cook the bacon, onion and garlic. The bacon does not have to be completely cooked through but should not be limp. Turn off heat. Remove bacon and let it cool enough to handle. Keep the onion and garlic in the pan. Coarsely chopped the bacon and return to pan. Add the beans. Cover with water (one inch above) the beans. Gently simmer, uncovered over medium low heat. Stir occasionally. Keep the beans covered with water. After one hour add the beer, the green chili, the hot sauce, and the salt. Cook for an hour longer and check the beans. They should be soft but not mushy. The beans can cook for another half hour if necessary. Check for taste. Add salt or hot sauce if needed. Remove from heat. The heat from the pot and the beans will keep them warm for a half hour or longer. Reheat if needed. Can be made a day ahead. Leftovers can be mashed in a food processor and transformed into a bean dip.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and boil 3 to 4 minutes until just tender. Drain beans and immediately plunge into ice water. Allow to sit in ice water until cold, then drain well, and set aside.
• Cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, then set aside. Reduce heat to medium, stir shallots into the pancetta fat, and cook gently until the shallots have turned dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. Place pancetta and green beans in skillet; toss and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Steps:

• Brown sausage (I use cast iron dutch oven).
• Add corn and beans.
• Simmer 15-20 minutes.