borlotti beans...

BORLOTTI BEANS…

Curiously brown & speckled, characterised most noticeably for their ability to hang around in one of those back corners of the pantry for ages, their only movement being when they are transferred from that old paper bag they came in to a jar or plastic container where they hopefully won’t spill everywhere next time you restack & wipe the pantry out in one of those manic spring cleans that happens every once in a while.

Their origins at the local Harvest Wholefoods or Huckleberries giving them status, they kinda look like a health food should look. Maybe that’s why these little guys never get used, yet never get thrown out. I’ve known borlotti beans who have moved flat three maybe four times, packed into the same box as those little cardboard packets of Greggs Ground Coriander, Garam Marsala, Paprika, and the nori sheets that came from the local Chinese supermarket when someone once had a sushi brainwave. They are the refugees of the pantry, moved from place to place, destined for some reason never to find their way into some tasty dish they can call a home of their own, existing in the hope that one day someone will find a recipe for them. Tragically, if anything fate usually sends them into the insipid hell of a Gilian McKeith diet plan, forever tarnished thereafter with the associated memory & never to be consumed again.

Opening the pantry this morning, I saw them there, a plastic container on the top shelf, nestled between the organic cannellini beans & the black quinoa. I knew the time had come to right the wrongs, to liberate this perfect little pulse & bring it the recognition it truly deserves…

RECIPE…

Butter x50g

Onion x1

Garlic x2 cloves

Carrot x1

Salt x1tsp

Bay Leaf x1

Thyme x1sprig

Borlotti Beans x2cups

Chicken Stock x1cube 
METHOD…

*in a bowl, cover the borlotti beans with cold water & stand overnight

*drain the beans, which will double in size, & rinse under cold water

*stove on a low/med heat, warm a pot, melt butter in it

*chop up the onions/garlic/carrot to a small bite size

*add onions/garlic/carrot to the pot, stir about, cover with a lid, 5 mins

*add the chicken stock/boiling water to cover the beans

*stove on a med/high heat, bring the soup to a simmer, cover with a lid

*adjusting the heat to keep soup on a gentle simmer, cook for 20 mins

*this soup, now ready, can be eaten chunky or puréed at this point

*sprinkle of chopped parsley to garnish, serve with crusty bread/butter

EXTRA…

*adding, say, a nice pork chop or two, some streaky bacon, some pancetta or even a chorizo sausage adds a dimension to this soup. Drop it in at the beginning, after the onions/garlic to sauté a little in butter before adding the liquids.

*adding, a juicy bone, is a good alternative, but requires cooking the soup for a little longer, on a low heat. A bacon hock or perhaps even some chicken thighs, cook the soup for a couple of hours or more, the meat will fall from the bone with a little encouragement & the soup will thicken with the natural extracts from the bones.

*over winter, this soup can stay on the stove, being reheated for a quick after school or early evening meals & being added to over the days with a carrot or an onion, some more stock or another bone when necessary

*alternatively, I freeze this soup in portions which can be brought back when I want something quick & easy