Note: During this time, I am trying to post more regularly in the hopes that in my small way, I can help people cope with a crisis. As I usually do – through food. I am trying to fulfill the requests for pantry-focused meals that are wholesome to the mind and the body. Wishing everyone all the very best from NYC!
People have been requesting pantry recipes as online delivery and trips to the store have become more harrowing, and I have to say, this is my husband’s and my favorite dinner even when we are not forced to figure out what to do with dried beans. To give you context, I’d say we eat Salvatore Beans about once a week under normal circumstances.
When Mr. English and I decided to move (back, for me) to New York City from London, we negotiated with our jobs to let us have a few weeks off between leaving London and starting up in NYC. We made a pact to go to the places in Europe that you can’t easily or cheaply get to from the States, but can go to for a song when you live in the UK. Tuscany was one such place, and we stayed at one of these trendy little agriturismo hotels. We were in the middle of Tuscany, and yet we never wanted to leave the hotel because the food was so outstanding and harvested from the back garden. The chef made dinner for the handful of guests every night, and we ate outside on a patio under a black and starry sky, among lavender bushes. The dinner guests said hi, and pulled up tables next to each other, and introduced themselves over glasses of local wine. From the States, the UK, Australia. It is a precious memory, especially now.
One night the chef brought out these small pots of white beans as a side dish. I can’t remember what else he served that night, because to me and to Mr. English, this was the night we discovered Salvatore Beans. I said to the chef, how did you make these? He told me, modestly, that they are so easy. Just olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and salt. I asked his name, and he said Salvatore. I got back to New York, fiddled around, and have been making Salvatore Beans ever since.
These are the last thing I made before I got sick, and having these to eat over the following few days provided me with comfort and sustenance and a little bit of joy and remembrance.
I wish you well with them. You can festoon your bowl with a drizzle of fresh EVOO and a shower of Pecorino or Parm. Fat cracked black pepper is a nice touch as well. One thing to note is that every pot of beans I make uses this formula. ¼ cup of olive oil. 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt. 1 pound of dried beans. And 6 cups of water. So if you don’t have cannellini beans, use kidney beans or navy beans or what Goya charmingly calls “small white beans”. And I’ll share some other renditions for you over the coming days. Stay well and eat well!
Salvatore’s White Beans with Rosemary, Olive Oil, and Garlic
Makes a pot of beans! (I’d say serves 3 to 4, or 2 with leftovers)
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
1 small branch of rosemary, leaves chopped and stem discarded
1 pound of dry cannellini beans
1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt (I use La Baleine in the red container, for reference)
METHOD
The night or morning before you want to make this, put the beans in a bowl and cover with cool water by one to two inches. I try to do this the night before, but I’ll often do it in the morning before I go to work. (Or, nowadays, before I start work.) I know it’s a pain, but if you just remember to remember, it’s really not a heavy lift at all.
When you are ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.
In a wide Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and toast until just golden. Then flip the garlic over to toast on its second side and add in the rosemary. Add the beans and the salt and six cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until the beans are tender but not mushy. Check after an hour to see if you need to add more water, and do if the pot seems dry. The final result will be a pot of brothy, savory white beans. So good!
Can you do these with canned beans? If so, what quantity?
Yes, I make this all the time with canned beans! I do tend to do it in a smaller quantity. Here’s what I do. I add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small pot over medium heat and add 1 crushed garlic clove. I toast it lightly on both sides, then add 1/2 a sprig of whole rosemary (or you could chop the leaves) and two 14-oz cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed. I then add about 1/3 cup of water and a pinch of salt. I cook it until the water has mostly evaporated.
Thanks! We’ll give it a try! Hope you and Mr. English are safe, well, and appropriately socially distanced (from the outside world, not from each other). By the way, in the ingredients list, you might want to change “course sea salt” to “coarse”; we expect high standards of spelling from Princeton women!
I love a good copy edit! Thank you so much! How mortifying!
I hope it comes out well…. And I hope you stay well. Yes, we are distanced. I hope you are doing well during this time!