Recipe - Beans With Black Cabbage Tuscan Style

2/3 pound Dry cannellini beans
2 One half ounce Pancetta
2/3 pound Black Tuscan cabbage; *see
note
2/3 pound Carrots
1 lg Onion
2 Leeks
2 Celery stalks
1 Handful basil leaves
2/3 pound Ripe tomatoes
1 pn Thyme
Black pepper
Salt
One half cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 ounce Parsley

Soak the beans in a generous quantity of water overnight. The following
morning, drain, put them in a pot with 2 qts. of lightly salted cold water,
and let cook for 1 One half hours.

Clean, wash and slice the cabbage, carrots, onion and the leeks. Make a
battuto with celery, basil and parsley. Thinly slice the pancetta. Put a
pot on the stove with the oil, adding everything you have cut and minced
(except the cabbage). Saute over a low flame until the vegetables begin to
get tender. Then add the cabbage and continue to cook over a low flame so
that the vegetables can stew well. Add the tomatoes (peeled and chopped), a
pinch of thyme and a pinch of pepper, and continue to cook over a low heat,
stirring frequently.

Pass about half the beans in a food sieve and add the resulting puree to
the vegetables. Add this to the beans and their broth, stir well and let
cook for one more hour. Offer extra virgin olive oil on the side.

TIP: Always add more broth if soup gets too thick.

"Fagioli con cavolo nero alla toscana," recipe from Italian food and med
diet southern europe, Sicily. (slow page)
http://www.osolemio.it/meddiet/default.nclk 1998: Osolemio is an ezine
about Italy.

Notes: Italian cabbages: Savoy Cabbage and Head Cabbage (Verza e cavolo
cappuccio): These belong to the same family as broccoli and cauliflower and
are primarily a winter vegetable. Savoy cabbages have compact heads of
wrinkled, curry leaves, dark green on the outside and lighter in the
inside. Head cabbages also have compact heads, but with smooth, light green
leaves; they are more delicate in taste than the Savoy. The leaves of the
head cabbage can also be russet or violet in color (known in Italy as
cavolonero, Tuscan cabbage or black cabbage). Both of them may be eaten
raw, cut in thin strips and seasoned with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, or
may be stewed or cooked in savory pies and soups. Substitute savoy cabbage.
If you want the color, try raddichio or red cabbage.

Edited by Pat Hanneman 98Mar

Recipe by: The Basics of Italian Cuisine: Meddiet

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by KitPATh phannema@wizard.ucr.edu on Mar 23,
1998