Beans in Mediterranean Cuisine
The Mediterranean diet receives a lot of positive attention from the nutrition and health community, and for very good reason. This dietary pattern, which is traditional to countries along the Mediterranean Sea, has been associated with remarkable health outcomes, including an increased lifespan, reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, and lower risk of certain cancers, as well as a wide range of other health benefits.
When people raised around the Mediterranean are far from home, it is the bean dishes they remember with longing. A simple, brothy bowl of white beans with a cruet of extra virgin olive oil can practically make a Tuscan cry. To a Frenchman, a grandmother’s cassoulet has no equal for sheer pleasure in all the Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy.
Dry beans may be the humblest of foods, but the dishes made with them can touch us deeply. They can’t be rushed, so they remind us that someone took time to please us. They demonstrate ingenuity and, often, the ability to make a lot with a little. Through watchful cooking and deft seasoning — as minimalist as olive oil, garlic, sea salt and parsley — Mediterranean cooks know how to make dry beans craveable.
In Provence, lamb shanks with white beans capture all the flavors of that sun-drenched region, with seasonings that include rosemary, thyme, and savory. In some preparations, the braised shanks are served on top of the beans. Other cooks remove the braised meat from the shanks, stir it into the cooked beans, and then apply a breadcrumb topping to make a crusty gratin.
The reputation of fabada, probably Spain’s best-known bean dish, extends far beyond the Asturias region that is its home base. Asturian cooks use large dry white beans for this rustic dish, which includes sausages, smoked pork, slab bacon and paprika. In Galicia, the beloved caldo Gallego incorporates white beans, beef, potatoes, turnips, and kale in a hearty one-pot soup.
Travel to Tuscany and every nonna (grandmother) will boast about her ribollita, a rib-sticking bean soup made with yesterday’s minestrone and stale bread. Italian bean soups embrace whatever the garden and market provide, such as fresh fennel, chestnuts, winter squash, mushrooms, mustard greens, cabbage, or carrots.
In Greece, cooked navy beans are featured in refreshing summer salads (fasoulosalata) with capers, red onion, and arugula. Often the garlicky beans are pureed for a meze (appetizer), garnished with capers, thinly slivers of red onion and good olive oil. Fat white beans known as gigantes (Great Northern beans could substitute) are oven-baked with olive oil, tomato, oregano and honey. For a riff on the popular Greek salad, mix canned kidney beans or white beans with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta, dried oregano, and vinaigrette.
MEDITERRANEAN BEAN RECIPES TO TRY:
Greek Stuffed Peppers with Beans, Lamb, Rice and Herbs
Chef Bill Briwa from The Culinary Institute of America shows us how to make roasted vegetables stuffed with beans, lamb, rice, mint and dill, just the way you might find them in the kitchens of Greece.
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Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Rosemary White Beans and Sautéed Swiss Chard
The white beans in this dish take on the flavors of the chile and fresh herbs. The rosemary brings beautiful aromatics to this versatile dish that can be easily scaled to an entrée or appetizer portion. Grilling the shrimp on the rosemary skewers enhances the herb’s flavor throughout the dish and creates an elegant presentation option.
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Polpettone (Italian White Bean and Turkey Meatloaf with Braised Swiss Chard)
While you might think of meatloaf as an all-American food, the Italians have a tasty version called Polpettone. CIA Chef Scott Samuel makes this produce-packed polpettone with a blend of ground turkey and white beans and serves it with a Swiss chard marinara sauce.
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Bolognese Sauce with Kidney Beans, Mushrooms, and Pappardelle
Chef Bill Briwa from The Culinary Institute of America shows us how to make an old world comfort food classic with a contemporary twist. He prepares Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce, but swaps out some of the meat for healthier kidney beans.
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Stuffed King Olives Braised in a Tomato Sauce with White Beans
Chef Bill Briwa from The Culinary Institute of America shares one of his favorite recipes: Stuffed Olives Braised in Tomato Sauce. The Tunisian-inspired spicy sauce that accompanies the stuffed olives is made with tomatoes, white beans, capers, preserved lemons, and cumin.
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Garlic and White Bean Bruschetta with Boquerones
Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer made with toasted bread and a topping. The best known Italian version uses a topping of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and basil. This Spanish-influenced version features a creamy white bean puree topped by boquerones, beautiful white anchovies preserved in oil and vinegar, and sweet and mildly spicy piquillo peppers.
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Grilled Flatbread with Spicy White Bean Purée, Mushrooms, Kale and Italian Sausage
This flatbread is both decadent and packed with nutrition. The whole wheat crust is topped with kale, oyster mushrooms, and white beans. In place of heavy alfredo sauce, Chef Scott prepares a creamy white bean puree as the base sauce on this flatbread. The flatbread could easily be prepared vegetarian by omitting the wild boar sausage.
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