Cookbook Challenge: Week 4, Beans
Recipe: Dressed cannelini beans
Cookbook: Daily Italian by Tobie Puttock
Beans! I really love beans, and I would have liked to have done something more interesting than the recipe I choose, but I ran out of time this week. For some odd reason, I thought the theme this week was Greek, and I only realised it was actually beans midway through the week.
By Saturday, I still hadn’t decided on a recipe, and our Saturday was spent out in the shops on a mega mammoth Xmas shopping frenzy. By the time we arrived home, I was exhausted and really not up to doing anything terribly complicated, nor wanting to go back out for ingredients.
Doing my recipe on Sunday was out because – well, today is my birthday! And we went out to the Press Club for a massive lunch, so I knew I wouldn’t be eating dinner (blog post to come later, perhaps?).
Fortunately, when we arrived home on Saturday, I picked up Daily Italian, and the first recipe in the book was for dressed cannelini beans. Simple and easy, and I had all the ingredients at home. Done and no more thinking required.
I’m not generally a fan of cannellini beans, but these were alright! The original recipe suggested dried cannellini beans, but I substituted with canned ones for that quick and easy factor. Once dressed, the beans were tangy and tasted fresh and zingy from the herbs and chilli. While they probably wouldn’t be the star of a meal, they worked well as a side dish.
See previous Cookbook Challenge posts here.
Update: See a round up of everyone else’s posts at My Food Trail.
Dressed cannelini beans
Adapted from Daily Italian by Tobie Puttock
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 x 400g cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
3 sprigs sage
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white-white vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
10 mint leaves
10 flat-leaf parsley leaves
In a small pot of water, simmer the garlic cloves until they are soft and cooked through.
Mash up the garlic, and add them to a large bowl with the cannellini beans, sage, oil, vinear, chillies, mint and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
mademoiselle délicieuse
December 14, 2009 @ 12:06 am
Tinned cannelini are a great cupboard staple to have either for soups or dressed, as you have done, as a side to meats. My mum loves them when I throw them in a veg soup, because they're milder in taste than kidney and other beans.
Conor @ HoldtheBeef
December 14, 2009 @ 6:28 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
(nice beans too)
Kat (Spatula, Spoon and Saturday)
December 15, 2009 @ 6:55 am
i think there's something about last week. i didnt have the time to make mine all that complicated either.
hope you had a good birthday! how was the press club? i always hit the pub for my birthday it's too hard to get my bogan friends to go anywhere else.
OohLookBel
December 15, 2009 @ 12:47 pm
Gorgeous presentation of the beans in the red pots! You can't go wron with a couple of cans of cannelini, and this recipe looks great.
Iron Chef Shellie
December 15, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
Happy Belated Birthday!
Gorgeous looking beans!
Rilsta @ My Food Trail
December 15, 2009 @ 5:21 pm
Happy birthday!! xx Hope the Press Club lunch was fabulous!
I know what you mean about not having much time to cook recipes now with the busy Christmas period! Still thinking when I can fit my Greek theme in this week!
Great job with the beans though – a simple recipe you can use when you don't have much time!
chitchatchomp@yahoo.com.au
December 15, 2009 @ 9:33 pm
Happy birthday! As always, your photos look fabulous – this one is no exception with the beautiful red pots.
Agnes
December 16, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
mademoiselle: You're right, tinned beans are so useful!
Conor: thanks!! 😀
Kat: The Press Club was fantastic. We ate soooooooo much.
Belle: thanks! I love my little red pots. 🙂
Shellie: thanks! It was a good one (as birthdays go…)
Rilsta: have you decided on a Greek recipe yet? I think I have an idea that will kill two birds with one stone… 🙂
Leigh: thank you! 🙂
Cherrie Pie
December 17, 2009 @ 8:14 am
Great photo of your dish. It's simple and looks delish.
Hope you had a happy birthday.
Agnes
December 20, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
Cherrie Pie: Thanks! I did have a good one. 🙂