I first had this simple dish in the Madonna restaurant in Venice to accompany slow-roasted belly of pork. The River Cafe in London serves a similar cranberry bean recipe as a first course with lots of arugula. Fresh beans make this extra delicious as they have a softer, creamier texture than dried.
Serves 6 as a starter, 8 as a side dish
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh cranberry beans (or, if using dried beans, use 1 cup soaked overnight in cold water)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 3 or 4 sage leaves, chopped, plus plenty extra for garnishing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
- 3 ounces pancetta, chopped
- Dash of red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 3 handfuls of arugula or young
- spinach leaves (optional)
Preparation:
Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a very little olive oil until crisp and add to the beans. Mix together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and slowly add the rest of the olive oil to give a very creamy dressing. Pour this over the still-warm beans, retaining a third of it if you are using the salad leaves. Garnish with plenty of chopped sage leaves over the top.
If using the salad leaves, dress the leaves, divide among the plates, and spoon the beans over the leaves. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Recipe used by permission of Rizzoli USA.
