Recipe: Baked Cannellini Beans with Lemon and Rosemary

BAKED CANNELLINI BEANS WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY
Source: The Bean Harvest Cookbook by Ashley Miller
Servings: 4

Garlic, lemon, olive oil, and rosemary indicate the Mediterranean origin of this marvelous dish. Rosemary is a powerful herb, and too much can impart a distinct medicinal flavor. I find that fresh rosemary has a gentler taste than dried, and for that reason I grow a large pot of it. These plump and savory beans are the perfect accompaniment to a fish or poultry entree.

1 cup dried cannellini beans (2 1/2 cups cooked)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for serving
2 sparse (4-inch) sprigs of rosemary. or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 lemon
simmering water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sort through, rinse, and soak the beans*.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Drain the beans and pour them into a 1-quart baking dish, Stir in the garlic, oil, and rosemary.

Cut the lemon in quarters and reserve 3 quarters tot the garnish. Remove the seeds from the remaining quarter and score its rind with a sharp knife, Squeeze the juice into the beans and stir well; then add the entire quarter.

Add enough of the water to cover the beans and bake, partially covered, 2 hours, or until tender. Check the water level after hours, and add more water it necessary.

To serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the top, if desired, to add some gloss. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the remaining 3 lemon quarters mw wedges and add them as garnish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*SOAKING BEANS
Soaking which causes dried legumes to absorb water and double or triple in size, is a simple step. There are several ways this can be done.

Quick soaking
This method takes about an hour. As a rule of thumb, for I cup of beans, use 4 cups of water. For each additional cup of beans, add 3 cups of water. Put the water and the sorted and rinsed beans in a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the hear, cover, and let stand for 1 hour

Traditional soaking
Traditional soaking is usually thought of as an overnight process. In reality, it appears that there is little advantage in soaking beans for more than 4 hours. That means you can put the beans in to soak in the morning, and they'll he ready to cook in the afternoon.

For traditional soaking, use a large pot or bowl and 4 cups of water (or the first cup of beans, with 3 cups of water for each additional cup of beans. Place the beans in the pot or howl and add the water. Let the beans soak for at least 4 hours. If the beans will he soaking longer than 6 hours in a very warm room, place the bowl or pot in the refrigerator.

In all soaking methods, the soaking water should he thrown out.