Love Letter Pot of Beans, Served with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese
Serves 10
1 pound dried cannellini beans
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 bay leaf 1 rosemary stem
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese (recipe follows)
Rinse the dried beans well. Place in a large bowl and pour enough water over to cover by a few inches and stir in 2 teaspoons of salt. Allow to soak overnight.
Drain the beans and place them in the bowl of a slow cooker. Add enough fresh water to cover by a few inches, then add the bay leaf, rosemary, crushed pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook on low for 8 hours. Taste a bean and check for tenderness. If the beans are not completely tender, switch the setting to high and cook for another half hour, or until cooked throughout.
Serve with the Roasted Tomatoes and Cheese, or use in soup. Cooked beans can be drained and frozen for up to six months.
Roasted Tomatoes and Feta Cheese
Serves 4
3 pints of cherry tomatoes 1 head of garlic
7 ounce block of feta cheese 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt
Black pepper
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a shallow baking dish ( 9-inch by 12-inch) with parchment paper. Lay the tomatoes on the paper. Halve the garlic horizontally and nestle in the tomatoes. Cut the feta into 1⁄4-inch sections and add to the tomatoes. Pour the balsamic and olive oil over all and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and blistered. Press the garlic head to remove the softened cloves and serve with a scoop of cannellini beans.