Friday, February 20, 2009

Beans



For two weeks I worked at a restaurant which chose to throw away the rinds from Parmesan cheese. This is a shame because Parmesan rinds make a delicious base to either cook grains or make soup. I was fortunate enough to inherit all of these rinds, and yesterday I used them to flavor the broth for some cannellini beans. I didn't want to wait a day, so I skipped soaking process by briefly boiling the beans and allowing them to sit in the warm water for an hour. Meanwhile, I (very) slowly sauted onions and garlic with chili, and a huge bouquet of thyme. Once the onions were completely soft and about to start caramelizing, I added the Parmesan rinds and a couple quarts of water. I then rinsed my beans and combined them with the Parmesan broth in my crock-pot and cooked them on high for a about 3 hours. The result was fantastic, though I wish I had cooked the beans in a little more liquid. Once they cooled, the beans soaked up most of the broth.

Today I paired the beans with some kale, sauted with garlic and fished with pecorino, fresh thyme and lemon. Delish:

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