Rancho Gordo was lucky enough to be listed as a source in the revised edition of Mark Bittman’s classic How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
In fact, he calls our products “really good”. I’m flattered!
Hopefully Mr. Bittman won’t mind me sharing one of his better bean recipes, perfect for our miserable winter weather. He calls for canellini or any other white bean. I’m going to suggest our flageolet. They’ll suck up all the pork and stock love that you can offer.
Salt
3 cups chopped cabbage, preferably Savoy
8 oz small pasta, like cavatelli or orecchiette
2 tablesp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped leek or onion
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup chopped prosciutto or 1/2 cup chopped ham
1 cup chicken or other stock, or more as needed
3 cups cooked, drained, but still moist Flageolet beans
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese for garnish
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat and salt it. Add cabbage and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes; use a slotted spoon or small strainer to fish it out, drain (shock with cold water if you like) and set aside. When the pot returns to a boil, add the pasta and cook until tender but firm, about 7 minutes or so and drain it.
2. Meanwhile, put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the leek and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, prosciutto, stock, beans, and cabbage and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook until the flavors blend and everything is well-heated, about 5 minutes more. If the mixture dries out, add a little more stock; it should be moist but not soupy.
3. Combine the bean mixture and pasta in the large pot and stir gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
