Beans Marbella
By Hannah FentonPublished on March 28, 2024
Time
4 hours, plus 8 hours brining
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can use large lima beans in place of the Royal Coronas. If using large lima beans, start checking for doneness at 2 hours in step 2. Royal Corona beans will take closer to 3 hours to cook. Serve with crusty bread.
Instructions
- Dissolve 1½ tablespoons table salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add pancetta and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 7 cups water and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in beans, half of prunes, half of olives, half of capers, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to simmer, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until beans are tender, 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Stir remaining prunes, remaining olives, remaining capers, and vinegar into pot. Cover pot and let rest off heat until prunes have softened, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Time
4 hours, plus 8 hours briningYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
This enticing stew is a beanified version of a timeless classic: Chicken Marbella from The Silver Palate Cookbook. The combination of sweet prunes, briny olives, and tangy red wine vinegar marries nicely with Royal Corona beans—strikingly large runner beans that have a hearty, meat-like character while cooking up tender and creamy. Royal Corona beans lean towards the sweeter end of the bean spectrum so we add a small amount of pancetta and anchovies for savory depth and umami. We also pare down the amount of brown sugar to 3 tablespoons (the original recipe has 1 cup!) to account for the natural sweetness in the beans. Due to their size, Royal Corona beans have a longer than average cook time, so instead of cooking the beans separately, we take advantage of this time and cook the beans and sauce together to allow them to integrate. We also removed wine from the sauce, as it tends to impede bean cook time. Instead we add red wine vinegar at the end for a bright hit of acidity.
Before You Begin
You can use large lima beans in place of the Royal Coronas. If using large lima beans, start checking for doneness at 2 hours in step 2. Royal Corona beans will take closer to 3 hours to cook. Serve with crusty bread.
Instructions
- Dissolve 1½ tablespoons table salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add pancetta and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 7 cups water and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in beans, half of prunes, half of olives, half of capers, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to simmer, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until beans are tender, 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Stir remaining prunes, remaining olives, remaining capers, and vinegar into pot. Cover pot and let rest off heat until prunes have softened, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
More Like This
Keep Exploring
0 Comments