2 yellow onions, medium diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
Olive oil for sautéing,
approximately 2 tablespoons
1 lb Iacopi Farms dried Gigante beans (available at
the Ferry Plaza Market on Saturday or Tuesday), soaked overnight
1 fresh bay leaf
8 cups chicken stock
Salt, pepper to taste
½ bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed
Bariani extra virgin olive oil
(available at high end markets and farmers markets all over the Bay Area),
approximately 1 tablespoon per serving to finish
In a thick bottom sauce pot, sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the beans and bay leaf and cover all with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook gently until beans are tender, approximately 1-2 hours. Approximately 10 minutes before the beans are done, add salt to taste. You want the cooking liquid to be properly salted. (As gigande beans are so large, do not add the salt at the beginning of cooking or the beans will never cook properly.) Drain the beans, reserving the liquid and return the beans to the pot. Add reserved cooking liquid back into the pot until the desired consistency is reached. Here is what the consistency should look like:
Swirl the chiffonaded kale into the
beans. Stir thoroughly to evenly distribute the kale as the kale tends to
clump. Top each serving with the extra virgin olive oil and serve.
Here’s the lovely and flavorful finished product:
