Basic white beans

2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Dried white beans
2 cups Water
1 Bay leaf
½ teaspoon Black pepper
1 Unpeeled carrot, halved
1 Spanish onion, quartered
2 Garlic clove(s)
A few parsley sprigs
A few thyme sprigs or
½ teaspoon Dried thyme
1 teaspoon Salt

Directions

1. The night before, spread the beans in a large pan and remove and small stones and bits of dirt.

2. Wash the beans by placing them in a bowl and covering them with cold water. Let the beans settle to the bottom of the bowl. This allows the dirt to float to the top. Pour off the water.

3. Cover the beans by 4-inches or more with cold water. Soak the beans for 6-8 hours or overnight.

4. The next morning, pour off the water and place the soaked beans in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the cold water, bay leaf, pepper, carrot, onion, and garlic. Tie the parsley and thyme in cheesecloth and add it to the pot.

5. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer slowly for 1 hour. Add the salt during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

6. Remove the bay leaf, garlic, onion, carrot, parsley, and thyme.

Wring the cheesecloth out over the beans to extract as much flavor as possible. Serve hot or at room temperature or use in any recipe that calls for cooked white beans.

Can be prepared up to 4 days in advance. Refrigerate if you're keeping them for longer than a few hours.

The Occasional Vegetarian by Karen Lee ISBN 0-446-51792-5 pg 35-36 Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 10-04-95

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