Skip to main content

Braised Cannellini

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 3 cups (4 servings)

Ingredients

1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) dried cannellini or other small white beans, such as Great Northern or baby limas
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour the beans into a deep bowl and pour in enough cold water to cover them by 4 inches. Let soak in a cool place or the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.

    Step 2

    Drain the beans and transfer them to a 2-quart saucepan. Pour in enough water to cover by two fingers and drop in two of the rosemary sprigs. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat so the water is at a bare simmer. Cook until the beans are tender but not mushy, with just enough liquid to cover them, 30 to 40 minutes. (If necessary, add more water a tablespoon at a time to keep the beans covered as they simmer.)

    Step 3

    Remove the beans from the heat and gently stir in the oil, salt to taste, and the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs. Let stand to cool and absorb the cooking liquid. The end result should be tender beans with a creamy consistency in just enough liquid to coat them. Taste the beans occasionally as they cool and stir in more salt if necessary.

Image may contain: Spaghetti, Food, Pasta, Human, and Person
From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Buy the full book from Amazon.
Read More
A summer side with main dish energy.
This brothy bowl will nourish you from the inside out.
The best homemade hummus starts with an unexpected ingredient: ice cubes.
Zesty jalapeño halves make the perfect vehicle for these crunchy, juicy, meat-filled snacks.
Biscuits and gravy, but make it spring.
Personal goal is to eat these daily from now until Memorial Day.
Pickled chile vinaigrette, salami, and torn crispy bread help turn a bowl’s worth of stone fruit into a lightning fast summery dinner.
Chicken salad, pasta salad, and Caesar salad, all in one.