Gallura Style Boiled Beans Recipe - Fagioli alla Gallurese

Beans, Gallura Style, or Fagioli alla Gallurese: This is from Sardegna. Wild fennel is much more aromatic than domestic fennel, and one uses the fronds as there is no bulb. To serve 6 you'll need:

Prep Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (450 g) dried beans, soaked for several hours or over night
• A small head of Savoy Cabbage
• An ounce (25 g) of wild fennel (or some cultivated fennel fronds, with a little ground fennel seed)
• An onion, minced
• 6 ounces (150 g) blanched, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 10 ounces (250 g) pancetta or cured lard, ground (you can reduce this considerably, though I wouldn't omit it entirely)

Preparation:

Set the beans to boil in a large pot. While they're simmering, wash the cabbage well, and slice it finely. Wash the fennel too, and mince it. Grind the pancetta with the garlic.

When the beans are about half cooked, add the cabbage, minced onion and wild fennel. Ten minutes before the beans are done, stir in the tomatoes. When the beans reach doneness, stir in the ground pancetta, heat for a few more minutes, until the excess water is absorbed (you don't want a liquid soup), and the beans are ready. They'd go nicely, I think, with a salad.

Yield: 6 servings Gallura-style boiled beans.

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