White Beans with Pancetta
White beans, paired with pancetta, onions, garlic and fresh thyme combine to make an elegant and cozy dish, slightly adapted from Jacques Pepin's "Ragout of White Beans" recipe.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 Lb. Northern/Navy Beans, dry
- 6 cups Water
- 1 1/2 tsp. Sea salt
- 1 Tb. Olive Oil
- 1 large Bay leaf
- Pinch Red pepper flakes
- 3-4 Thyme sprigs
- 3-4 oz. Pancetta, diced
- 1 1/2 c. Onions, chopped
- 5 cloves Garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tb. Unsalted butter
- 2-3 Tb. Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Rinse beans in a collander and remove any stones. Add beans to a large pot, along with the 6 cups water and salt.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until beans are tender to the bite, but not grainy or mushy. This will take at least 1 hour.
- Just before beans are cooked, warm a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, pancetta, onions, thyme sprigs, garlic and black pepper. Cook and stir until onions are caramelized and the pancetta has rendered its fat and is slightly crispy (8-10 minutes). Stir in butter, turn off heat and allow the mixture to sit until the beans are ready.
- Remove ~1 cup of the cooking liquid from the beans and keep it nearby. Stir the onion mixture into the beans. Continue cooking, over low heat, partially covered, about 30 minutes. Check the beans to see if there is sufficient liquid and add a bit more of the reserved liquid if you think they need more. Cover the pot, allow it to come up to heat again, then turn off the heat and let the beans sit for 30-45 minutes, untouched. The beans should be very soft but still retain their shape, and most of the cooking liquid should get absorbed by this point. If there's still too much liquid (i.e., like soup), simply remove some before serving.
- Stir in chopped parsley, taste for seasoning, and serve.
Notes
You can reduce cooking time by about half if you soak the beans overnight. Rinse the beans and remove any stones. Cover with water by about 2" and toss in 1 Tb. of Kosher salt. Refrigerate overnight then drain and rinse before ready to cook the next day.