romano beans

This simple salad is seasoned with nothing more than salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Made with fresh summer produce, it allows the vegetables’ flavor and sweetness to shine through, needing little adornment. But you can also dress the salad with oil and vinegar and garnish with some meaty anchovy fillets, or use an anchovy vinaigrette (see note); these are just as delicious spooned over large spicy arugula leaves. Halved nine-minute eggs would be another nice accompaniment.

Summer Vegetable Salad

cranberry beans

olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

thyme bay leaf

beans beans

eggplants

Anchovy fillets or anchovy vinaigrette, optional (see note)

Basil leaves,

Put the shelling beans in a pot with water just to cover. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a good pinch of salt and herb sprig. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes, until beans are tender. Remove from heat, but let beans remain in their broth to stay moist.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the Romano beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, leaving them slightly al dente. Drain and spread the beans out on a large plate to cool.

Cut eggplant crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Paint each slice lightly with olive oil on both sides, then season with salt and pepper on both sides.

On a hot grill, under a hot broiler, or in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, cook eggplant slices, in batches, for about 3 minutes per side until softened and lightly browned. With a spatula, transfer slices to a platter in one layer to cool.

To assemble the salad, drain the shelling beans (save broth for another use), discarding herb sprig, and place in a wide, deep platter or salad bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Season the Romano beans and tomatoes lightly with salt and pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Top shelling beans with Romano beans and tomatoes and toss briefly. Tuck grilled eggplant slices here and there. Garnish with basil leaves and anchovy fillets, if using. Drizzle with vinaigrette, if using. Serve at room temperature.

Long-cooked vegetables fall firmly into the “ugly but good” camp of the Tuscan cucina povera, where flavor far outshines looks. The beans will change from firm and bright to limp and gray. But right around the two-hour mark, they'll transform again, into a dark, tangled mess, soft but defined. They'll taste extraordinarily rich, deliriously sweet and dense with flavor. All it takes is time and courage. Use this technique with almost any vegetable. It works particularly well with the shunned, the fibrous and the forgotten-in-the-fridge.

Long-Cooked Vegetables

garlic,

red-pepper flakes

shallot,

anchovy fillets, optional

Romano beans, green beans, wax beans or filet beans

water

basil leaves, divided

Kosher or fine sea salt

lemon

Ricotta salata, pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, for serving, optional

broccoli (about 3 large heads or 6 smaller ones).

summer squash

cauliflower

fennel (about

peppers

celery (about 2 bunches), trimmed and cut into 4-inch long pieces.

Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over low heat. Add oil, garlic, pepper flakes, shallot and anchovies (if using), and stir to combine. Gently cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until the garlic and shallot are just very lightly sizzling, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown.

Add beans and water. Roughly tear 10 of the basil leaves into the pot. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and stir to combine. Cover the pot, and reduce heat to as low as possible.

Cook beans until the steam has caused them to wilt, about 45 minutes. Stir, and continue to cook 1 hour and 15 minutes more, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Treat the shallot as a bellwether — if you hear it starting to sizzle or see it beginning to brown, scrape the bottom of the pan and add a teaspoon of water to deglaze, if necessary. The garlic cloves will completely break down and coat the beans as they cook.

After 2 hours, remove the lid, and increase the heat to medium-high. Let any remaining water evaporate, and lightly brown the beans, stirring regularly, about 10 minutes. Roughly tear in the remaining basil. Taste, and adjust salt, as needed.

Transfer the beans to a serving dish, and finish with a squeeze of lemon and a grating of ricotta salata, pecorino Romano or Parmesan, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Just to be clear, the weights given here are guides for shopping, before trimming and prepping. The aim is to end up with about 2 pounds of trimmed, prepped vegetables.) When preparing broccoli, squash, cauliflower or fennel, take care when stirring toward the end of the cooking to prevent the vegetables from falling apart.

Vegetable variations

These braised Romano beans with spicy cherry tomato sauce are a simple and incredibly flavourful side dish.

Braised Romano Beans with Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce &amp; Lemony Ground Walnuts

medium shallot, small dice

thyme leaves, minced

dried chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

capers, minced

tomato paste

lb cherry tomatoes, halved

sea salt and ground black pepper,

¾ lb green Romano beans,

walnut halves

lemon zest

tamari soy sauce

parsley

chilli oil

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallot and thyme to the pan and stir. Cook until the shallots are translucent and soft, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. If the shallots are browning on the edges, lower the heat.

Add the chilli and smoked paprika to the pan and stir for about 30 seconds. Then, add the capers and minced garlic. Keep stirring until the garlic is very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste to the pan and break it up with the back of your spoon. Keep stirring and mashing the bits of tomato paste until it has darkened a shade or two. Again, if you’re experiencing rapid browning/drying of the pan here, just lower the heat.

Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Once the cherry tomatoes let off some juices and start bubbling, keep the heat at this level. Simmer the cherry tomato sauce base for 5 minutes. Then, add the water to the pan and stir. Let the sauce simmer another 5 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thick but still fluid enough to move around the pan easily.

Add the cut green Romano beans to the pan along with some extra salt and pepper. Stir to coat the beans in the sauce. Bring the sauce and beans to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the beans and continue to simmer until they are tender and the sauce has thickened around the beans, about 15-18 minutes. I like to lift the lid and check in on the beans here and there, giving it a stir each time.

While the beans are simmering, finely chop the walnuts and mix them together in a small bowl with the lemon zest and a pinch of salt. You could also grind this mixture up in a mini food processor if you like.

Once the Romano beans are done simmering, stir in the ½ teaspoon of tamari soy sauce. Check the dish for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve the braised Romano beans warm with the lemony walnut mixture and parsley sprinkled on top. Garnish with chilli oil if you like.

Forgot to rate!  Awesome recipe.  Will make again!

The layers of flavours in this recipe are just so great. I didn't have capers on hand but subbed olive tapanade and it turned out phenom. Laura, your recipes are my fav!

The way you cut the romano beans is GORGEOUS. I love your creativity.&nbsp;

Top 3 romano beans recipes from across the web

The most viewed romano beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Summer Vegetable Salad

Long-Cooked Vegetables

Braised Romano Beans with Spicy Che...

Top 3 romano beans recipes from across the web

The most viewed romano beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Summer Vegetable Salad

Long-Cooked Vegetables

Braised Romano Beans with Spicy Che...

The most viewed romano beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine