Recipe - Bow Ties With White Beans Arugula And Sun-Dried Tomatoes

One fourth pound Dried cannellini or Great
Northern beans about 1/2
Cup
3 Cloves garlic, 1 left whole,
2 Minced
1 teaspoon Dried thyme
2 Bay leaves
1 One half teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoon Olive oil
1 Onion chopped
2 Sundried tomatoes
Chopped
One fourth teaspoon Red pepper flakes
Three fourths pound Bow ties
Three fourths pound Arugula, stems removed
Chopped
One fourth cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Redwine vinegar

In a medium saucepan, soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. Or
cover
the beans with water. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let
the beans soak for 1 hour.

Drain the beans. Return them to the saucepan and add cold water to cover
by
2 inches. Add the whole garlic clove, the thyme and bay leaves. Simmer the
beans, partially covered, until almost tender, about 1 hour. Add 1/2
teaspoon
of the salt and cook the beans until tender, about 15 minutes longer.
Drain.
Discard the garlic clove and bay leaves.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the
minced
garlic and the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is
translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, sundried tomatoes,
redpepper
flakes and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the beans and
tomatoes
are heated through, about 2 minutes.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the bow ties until just done,
about 15 minutes. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. Drain
the
bow ties and return them to the hot pot. Add the bean mixture, pasta
water,
arugula, Parmesan and vinegar and toss.

Beans and Salt: Salt and acidic ingredients, such as tomatos and vinegar,
make it difficult for dried beans to absorb liquid. This means that dried
beans must always be cooked until soft in unseasoned water. Otherwise,
they
remain tough. But don't forget the salt completely. When the beans are
almost
done, season them for optimum flavor.

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #156

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 14:00:51 0400 (EDT)

From: HP_WALLS@WOCO.OHIO.GOV

Recipe By : Food & Wine