Beans in a Meatless Sauce, or Fasoi in Salsa de Magro: This is a classic recipe of the Veneto, and towards Venice proper they simply call it fasoi in salsa. As recipes go it's easy, but the beans do have to be first rate. Serve them with any pan-fried or grilled meat or fish, and if you have leftover beans rejoice, because they're even better reheated the next day. To serve 4:
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (900 g) unshelled dark beans, along the lines of Cranberry beans
- 4 salted anchovies, boned, and rinsed very well
- A small bunch of parsley, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, 2 of which crushed
- A few leaves of sage
- Half a small onion
- A 2-inch (5 cm) piece of celery
- Olive oil
- A scant cup of white wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Begin by shelling the beans. Set them in cold water (rainwater if it's feasible), bring the pot to a boil, and cook them, with a clove of garlic, a few fresh sage leaves, half an onion, and the celery. Leave the pot uncovered, and when the beans are about 3/4 done salt them. When they are cooked, remove them to a bowl with a strainer, and keep them warm.
While the beans are cooking, mince the parsley and heat it in a pot with 4 tablespoons olive oil and the crushed cloves of garlic. When the garlic becomes golden, remove and discard it, and add the anchovies; cook, stirring and squashing them with the tines of a fork, until they become a smooth paste. Stir in the vinegar and a healthy grating of black pepper, and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. Pour it over the beans, cover them for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, and serve the beans.
A wine? White, Gambellara, or Tocai Bianco dei Berici
Yield: 4 servings fasoi in salsa.
While the beans are cooking, mince the parsley and heat it in a pot with 4 tablespoons olive oil and the crushed cloves of garlic. When the garlic becomes golden, remove and discard it, and add the anchovies; cook, stirring and squashing them with the tines of a fork, until they become a smooth paste. Stir in the vinegar and a healthy grating of black pepper, and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. Pour it over the beans, cover them for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, and serve the beans.
A wine? White, Gambellara, or Tocai Bianco dei Berici
Yield: 4 servings fasoi in salsa.
