The Recipe

Source: Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking by Nancy Harmon Jenkins:

1 cup dried white beans, soaked for 6 hours or overnight
1 large bunch of escarole (about 1 pound)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 crisp green celery stalk, coarsely chopped
5 or 6 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for serving
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 dried red chili (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
toasted slices of bread, for serving

Drain the beans, put them in a saucepan, and add fresh water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans, reserving the bean liquid.

Measure the bean liquid and add enough water to make 2 ½ cups.

Rinse and core the escarole. Chop the leaves into pieces about 1 inch long. Add them to the saucepan in which you cooked the beans, cover the pan and cook the escarole over gentle heat in the water clinging to its leaves until it is tender. Be careful not to let it scorch, adding a little boiling water to the pan if it starts to burn. When it is tender, set it aside with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Chop together the garlic, celery, and parsley to make about ½ cup finely minced aromatics. In a small skillet, cook the aromatics gently in the olive oil for about 10 minutes or until they give off fragrance but are not brown. Stir in the halved tomatoes and continue cooking until the tomatoes have shriveled somewhat and given off lots of juice.

The Recipe

Source: A Ligurian Kitchen: Recipes And Tales from the Italian Riviera by Laura Giannatempo

For the pesto (my recipe):

Bunch of basil
tbsp of pine nuts
tbsp of walnuts (optional)
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino cheese
Good extra-virgin olive oil

For the minestrone:

10 cups (2 ½ quarts) cold water
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1 small carrot, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 small Italian eggplant, cut 1/2-inch dice
½ large onion, chopped
1 small Savoy cabbage, cut in 1/4-inch strips
1 Yukon gold potato, cut in 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 small Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
2 zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 medium leek, cut in 1/2-inch dice
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans, presoaked (or use canned beans)
1 cup coarsely chopped spinach leaves
3 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Make the pesto:

See my quick recipe here

Make the minestrone:

Bring the water to a boil in large pot, add 2 teaspoons of salt, and reduce to a slow simmer.

Add the carrot and eggplant, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the onion, cabbage, potato, green beans, and the Parmigiano rind and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, leeks, tomatoes, beans (only if the beans were dried and presoaked; hold them if they were canned), and a pinch of salt and continue simmering, uncovered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Add the spinach and beans (if canned) and simmer for another 5 minutes. At this point the vegetables should be very soft and the liquid should have reduced a bit.

Remove the rind, stir in the olive oil, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and let the minestrone cool off the heat. Serve the minestrone warm, at room temperature, or cold, topped with a generous dollop of pesto. (Use any leftover pesto to make pasta or for another batch of minestrone).

The Recipe

Source: From Biba’s Italian Kitchen by Biba Caggiano

1 ½ pounds green beans, the smallest you can find
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 tablespoon minced sun-dried tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Snap off both ends of the beans and wash them under cold running water. Bring a medium-size saucepan half full of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and cook, uncovered, until tender but still a bit crunchy, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on size. Drain and immediately plunge the beans in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and to set their green color. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir for about 1 minute, making sure not to let the garlic turn too dark. Add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and stir just long enough to heat the beans through, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

The Recipe

Source: The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali

1 pound green, wax, or romano beans
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim the beans and cut them into 3-inch lengths.

In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovy paste and stir over medium-high heat until the vegetables have begun to brown and become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cook over medium heat until the beans are tender and deep brown, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

The Recipe

I didn’t follow a recipe for this dish, but here is a basic recipe I wrote just now:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
1/2 pound asparagus, blanched until just tender, then shocked in ice water
1/2 pound fava beans, shucked and peeled
1 28-oz can Italian plum tomatoes, sent through a food mill
a few slices of prosciutto, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
some Pecorino and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating
salt and black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly toasted.

Add the blanched asparagus, and saute for a minute to heat.

Add the pureed tomatoes, the fava beans, and prosciutto. Simmer for about five minutes to cook the beans.

Add the heavy cream, if using, and simmer for a few minutes to reduce.

Cook the pasta until al dente, and toss with the sauce. Add the grated Pecorino/Parmigiano cheese to the pan and toss well.

The Recipe

Source: Pasta Improvvisata : How to Improvise in Classic Italian Style by Erica De Mane

1 to 1 ½ dozen (depending on size) baby artichokes
juice of 1 lemon
about 3 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 or 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ pound or more fava beans, shucked and peeled
about 10 anchovy fillets, chopped
3 ripe tomatoe (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled, seeded, and diced
zest of 1 lemon
about 1 cup heavy cream
1 pound green penne

Trim and quarter the artichokes, placing them in a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice. Drain the artichokes and dry them with paper towels.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the artichokes and season generously with pepper (hold back on adding salt; remember, you will be adding a large amount of anchovies to this dish). Saute until just starting to color. Add the garlic and saute only 1 minute. Add a splash of water, cover the pan, and simmer until the artichokes are tender but still firm, about 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan and add the fava beans, anchovies, tomatoes, lemon zest, and cream. Simmer until the anchovies are dissolved and the fava beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Cook the penne until al dente, drain, and add to the pan. Toss over medium heat until well coated.

The Recipe

Source: The Balthazar Cookbook by Keith McNally

2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
½ pint pearl onions, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
12 baby artichokes, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup white beans, optional
6 halibut fillets
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Prepare the Basil Purée:

Prepare an ice-water bath in a medium bowl and bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the basil and blanch for 1 minute. Strain, plunge the leaves into the ice bath, and reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water. Remove the leaves from the ice water and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Place in the work bowl of a food processor along with the reserved ¼ cup of liquid and process until smooth, green, and bright. Refrigerate until needed.

Cook the Artichokes:

Wrap the coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaf in cheesecloth to make a sachet. Set aside. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic along with 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and herb sachet and cook for 5 minutes.

When the carrots have softened, add the sliced artichokes and the wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the cooked white beans, if using, and keep warm over a low flame while the halibut is cooked.

Cook the Fish

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Dry the halibut fillets and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the ¼ teaspoon white pepper.

Use 2 large sauté pans to cook the fish or, if using 1 pan, cook the fish in 2 batches. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the sauté pan until the oil smokes. Place 3 of the fillets in the pan and cook for 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven to finish cooking for 5 minutes, or until the fish just begins to flake around the edges.

Just before serving, remove the spice sachet from the broth, add the basil puree, and add the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Stir well to combine, and spoon the warm barigoule sauce into 6 shallow bowls, with a halibut fillet in the center.

The Recipe

Source: The Red Cat Cookbook by Jimmy Bradley

2 pounds pork loin
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 branches rosemary
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch arugula
1 small head frisee, ends trimmed, white and yellow parts only
1 baby artichoke
8 ounces fava beans in the pod, peeled
1 teaspoon sliced mint
1 teaspoon sliced parsley
1 ½ ounces Pecorino, shaved into shards with a vegetable peeler

Put the pork in a baking dish or other shallow vessel. Add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic, and the rosemary branches, and toss to coat the pork. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Set a roasting pan over two stovetop burners and heat the pan over medium-high heat. Remove the pork from its marinade, brushing off any solids. Season the pork with salt and pepper, add it to the pan, and cook, turning the pork as needed, until a light brown crust forms on all sides, approximately 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork reads 145 F, approximately 40 minutes more. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the pork to a plate, tent with foil to keep warm, and let rest for 10 minutes. (During this time, the internal temperature should rise to 150 to 155 F.)

While the pork is resting, make a salad by putting the arugula and frisée in a bowl. Trim the artichokes by cutting off the top third with a heavy kitchen knife, then trimming the stem to 1 inch. Peel the stem to remove the bitter green exterior, then shave the artichoke on a mandoline (or slice very thin with a knife) and add the slices to the bowl. Add the fava beans, remaining ¼ cup lemon juice, remaining ½ cup oil, the mint, and parsley, and toss.

Slice the pork and divide among 4 plates. Top with the salad, then with some shaved cheese.

Note to the cook: Peel fava beans by removing the tough outer pod, then carefully remove the skin that envelopes each bean. Eight ounces fava beans in the pods yield about ¼ cup beans.