{"id":3740,"date":"2018-01-12T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T16:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=3740"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:58:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:58:48","slug":"roman-beans-and-kale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2018\/01\/12\/roman-beans-and-kale\/","title":{"rendered":"Roman Beans and Kale"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 12, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t remember my mother making Roman Beans and Kale till I was in my late teens.<\/p>\n

The first time she made it, I remember her talking about her mother making it.\u00a0 For something she really liked, she waited an awfully long time to make it.\u00a0 But then, again, I did the same thing with her pasta \u00e8 fagioli<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There were some dishes from her childhood that she talked about but never made.\u00a0 Tiella<\/a> is the one that I remember most.\u00a0 It took me multiple tries over many years to recreate it from her description.<\/p>\n

Roman beans and kale might seem a little unusual to many American palates due to the length of time the kale is cooked.\u00a0 There is a point where it becomes silky but most definitely not mushy.\u00a0 Southerners, though, would find the kale in this recipe cooked in a familiar way.\u00a0 It is much like the Southern low-and-slow <\/span>style of cooking greens of various types, such as collards or mustard greens, until they achieve the requisite tenderness.<\/p>\n

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A bunch of kale<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Texture is an important part of this dish. The beans should yield but not be falling apart.\u00a0 The kale should not provide any resistance the way it would if it were just quickly saut\u00e9ed.\u00a0 The pasta, however, should be al dente.<\/p>\n

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Roman beans<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beans, kale and pasta are all pretty mellow-tasting in my estimation.\u00a0 The garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese are what give this dish its flavor oomph!\u00a0 At the table, I add crushed red pepper but it shouldn’t be cooked into the dish.<\/p>\n

Roman beans are also called Borlotti or Cranberry beans.\u00a0 Depending on where you live you might have to order them.\u00a0 In a pinch, though, you could use pinto beans or Anasazi beans.\u00a0 (If you’re a bean savant, you’ll notice that I used Anasazi beans as I was unable to find Roman beans after searching market shelves in two different cities for a couple of months.\u00a0 Though I could have gotten them online, I didn’t think the huge price premium was worth it.)<\/p>\n

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Anasazi beans<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My mother\u2019s approach to cooking most foods was definitely low and slow.\u00a0 It\u2019s classically Italian and so NOT French, which often aims for \u201chigh and fast!\u201d\u00a0 Though culinary education is now more inclusive and not so heavily French, we have a strong cultural bias away from slow, leisurely cooking due to the strong French influence of the past decades.\u00a0 There are exceptions however, largely based on strong regional traditions, barbecue, for example.\u00a0 But for the most part, mainstream America, and certainly mainstream American food and cooking publications, just don\u2019t \u201cget\u201d low and slow.<\/p>\n

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There are some foods that don\u2019t benefit from low and slow, at least when cooked traditionally; steaks for instance.\u00a0 My mother\u2019s approach to these was that they should be well done, even though that state was achieved quickly.\u00a0 In our house steaks were most often seasoned with olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and broiled.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s a wonderful flavor combination.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t until my late teens that I developed an appreciation for rare beef.<\/p>\n

I remember one meal where my sister and I cooked the steaks for ourselves and our dad.\u00a0 They were medium rare, as I recall.\u00a0 Even though our mom didn\u2019t have a hand in cooking them (and cooked her own steak well done) she spent the entire meal feeling like she had served us bad food.\u00a0 The fact that we liked it didn\u2019t seem to matter.\u00a0 She had very definite opinions about what constituted good food, and something that was bleeding onto the plate didn\u2019t fit!<\/p>\n

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If you have a favorite family recipe and a bit of a story to tell, please email me at santafecook@villasentieri.com<\/a> and we can discuss including it in the blog. I am expanding the scope of my blog to include traditional recipes from around the country and around the world. If you haven\u2019t seen Bertha\u2019s Flan<\/a> or Melinda\u2019s Drunken Prunes<\/a>, take a look.\u00a0 They will give you an idea of what I\u2019m looking for.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Recently I bought sous vide equipment.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t tried it yet but I\u2019m itching to do so.\u00a0 Steaks will be first.\u00a0 The food gets vacuum sealed and then cooked slowly…for hours…in a hot water bath that is maintained at the temperature one wants the food to achieve.\u00a0 The meat is cooked uniformly throughout\u2026low and slow!\u00a0 For steaks, one would want to quickly sear the outside before serving but many foods, like fish, poached eggs, and even hollandaise sauce can be used right out of the water bath.<\/p>\n

For now, though, let\u2019s try a slow-cooked pot of beans and greens\u2026Italian style!!

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Roman Beans and Kale<\/h2>\n
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The beans should be cooked through but not falling apart. The kale should take on a silky texture but not be mushy. The pasta should still be a bit \u201ctoothy.\" This is even better if made a day or two in advance and refrigerated. If you are doing this, you will want to undercook the pasta so that it is not too soft after the dish is reheated for serving. Alternately, you can omit the pasta when mixing the beans and kale, then add it when reheating. Depending on where you live, you might not be able to find Roman beans. Roman beans are also called Cranberry or Borlotti beans. If you can\u2019t find Roman beans, you can substitute Pinto or Anasazi beans.<\/div>\n
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Prep Time <\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>8<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ingredients
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