Recipe - Pasta With White Beans Tomatoes And Escarole

1 pound Dried white beans such as
Great Northern; soaked in
enough
; cold water to cover
; them by 2 inches
; overnight or
; quicksoaked
; (procedure follows)
; and drained
2 cup Finely chopped onion
1 One half tablespoon Minced garlic
1 teaspoon Dried sage; crumbled
Three fourths teaspoon Dried rosemary; crumbled
One half teaspoon Dried thyme; crumbled
One fourth teaspoon Dried hot red pepper flakes;
or to taste
One fourth cup Olive oil
12 cup Packed coarsely shredded
escarole
One half cup Dry white wine
A 28ounce can Italian
tomatoes; drained,
reserving
; the juice, and
; chopped
One half cup Minced fresh parsley leaves;
(preferably
; flatleafed)
1 pound Fusilli; (corkscrewshaped
; pasta)
Freshly grated Parmesan to
taste

In a kettle combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by
2inches and simmer them, covered, for 1 to 1 One half hours, or until they are
tender. Drain the beans in a colander set over a bowl and reserve the
cooking liquid. In a large deep skillet cook the onion, the garlic, the
sage, the rosemary, the thyme, the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper
to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is
softened, add the escarole in 2 batches, and cook each batch, stirring, for
2 minutes, or until the escarole is wilted. Add the wine and simmer the
mixture for 3 minutes. In a blender or food processor puree 1 One half cups of
the cooked beans with 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and add to the
skillet with the remaining beans, the tomatoes with the reserved juice, and
salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, stirring
occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until it is thickened slightly, and stir
in the parsley. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the fusilli until
t is al dente, drain it well, and in a large bowl toss it with the sauce
and the Parmesan.

To quicksoak dried beans:

In a colander rinse the beans under cold water and discard any discolored
ones. In a kettle combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by
2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and boil the beans for 2 minutes.
Remove the kettle from the heat and let the beans soak, covered, for 1
hour.

Serves 8.

Gourmet March 1991

Converted by MC_Buster.

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.