There are, it seems, an infinite number of ways to cook beans. This one's Tuscan, and if you don't have chantarelles you could use any other not-too-sharp wild mushroom. Cultivated button mushrooms won't do the beans justice.
To serve 4:
To serve 4:
Prep Time: 12 hours,
Cook Time: 1 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) chantarelles
- 1/2 pound (225 g) dried white (cannellini) beans
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 sprigs of nipitella, a woodsy thyme (use regular thyme if need be)
- 3 leaves sage
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Extravirgin olive oil
- Salt
Preparation:
Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Drain and rinse them, put them in a pot with water to cover, the thyme, and a clove of garlic, and simmer them for an hour, salting them lightly at the end of the cooking.While the beans are cooking wipe the dirt from the mushrooms with a soft cloth (only wash them if they are really dirty, and take care lest the caps become waterlogged if you do). Chantarelles are fairly small; if you are using something larger cut them into chanterelle-sized pieces. Mince the remaining garlic and sauté it in 1/4 cup of olive oil; when it has become golden (don't let it brown) add the mushrooms and sage. Cook 10 minutes over a moderate flame; drain the beans, reserving the bean liquor, and add them to the mushrooms.
Dilute the tomato paste in a ladle of bean liquor and add it to the pot. Cook 20 minutes more, cover, and let the pot rest 20 minutes before serving.
