Italian Beans and Greens

My Italian mother-in-law taught me to cook her mother's favorite dish.  This basic recipe is fast, nutritious, and works with all kinds of vegetables.  We enjoy it made with white beans, cooked until they're falling apart, and served over firmly cooked pasta.  It's also great on brown rice and with other kinds of beans.  Add more water, and it becomes a flavorful soup that goes well with whole grain bread.

• 4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• hot pepper flakes
• 1 can or 2 cups well cooked beans
• 1-2 pounds of chopped vegetables such as rapini, Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, kale, escarole, or zucchini
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Romano cheese

Sauté sliced garlic and hot pepper in oil under low heat until the garlic starts to brown.  Add 1 can (without preservatives) or 2 cups of softly cooked beans including the liquid.  I usually use cannolini or great northern beans, but lentils or any other beans work well.  Add chopped vegetables and simmer until they're cooked but still firm.  Add salt and pepper.  If you want to serve this over pasta or rice, add just enough water to make a thick gravy broth.  If you want to serve as a soup, add more water.  Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on the top of each bowl and serve with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

© 2005 Elaine Mansfield