RCP: Farfalle w/White Beans and Balsamic Sauce

[Jenise]

This recipe came with the monthly letter our local PBS station sends out, it's from a restaurant on Vashon Island called The Monkey Tree run by Chef Megan Hastings.

I made it the other night for some vegetarian friends, who loved it, so I thought I'd share. Note that I cut back on the amount of cheese and her splash of port became my splash of red wine; the recipe below includes my modifications.


White Bean Pasta with Caramelized Onions & Feta in a Balsamic Reduction (serves two)


"Creamy, fresh ingredients make this dish a wonderful filling dish for a cold winter day. They may be vegetarian, but the place is packed with non-vegetarians like me because they are so creative.”

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (I used cannellini)
6 cups cooked pasta, preferably shells or farfalle (2/3 pound dried)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4-1 yellow onion, julienned
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Splash of red wine
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1-1/2 to 2 cups vegetable stock, (any stock can be used)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
salt to taste
flat leaf Italian parsley for garnish (optional)
Preparation

First cook the pasta. Set aside with a drizzle of olive oil (1 tablespoon) to prevent sticking.

Next caramelize the onion. In a sauté pan add 2 tablespoons oil, then the onion, followed by the sugar and a pinch of salt. You want the onion to really have a caramely appearance, rich in texture.

Then add the pasta and all remaining ingredients at once, over medium heat and with a rubber spatula. This is the best tool for this endeavor, to avoid the pasta sticking to the pan. You want to cook down the liquid, but not all of it, as you want to pasta to have a creamy texture; that is the goal. More Parmesan can be added to taste. Check for seasoning. For a little garnish and color, add finely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley at the end.

This goes nicely with a green salad (butter lettuce with a light lemon dressing for example) to complement, and a full-bodied Chianti.

Chef’s note: To speed up the dried beans, start with boiling water. Add the beans, return to the boil, take off heat and let sit for 2 hours.

Jenise
Sounds good - printed off and the thought planted in the brain for sometime soon. I do need to get some cheap balsamic though!

regards

Ian

[Jenise]

Ian, perhaps you mean 'inexpensive' vs. cheap.

But really, I've gotten quite tired of balsamic vinegar. It's a good thing that's been abused horribly over here by restaurants trying to look trendy. Most egregiously, it sometimes comes in a cruet set with oil when someone like me who won't eat any salad dressing that isn't see-through or unsweetened is left with no other choice. That is wrong on so many levels.... It's presence almost put me off this dish and had it been for just Bob and I, I probably wouldn't have made it. But on behalf of our vegetarian friends I was feeling more open-minded, and in fact I liked the dish a lot. I should note that the Chef actually put the balsamic vinegar quantity at 2/3 to 3/4 c, which I thought insane--I probably used 1/2 c myself, but rather than butcher her recipe too much I let her lower number stand.

Mmm... almost sounds like a warm pasta salad. I love white beans. I'll bet it would be good with shaved parm regg instead of the feta, too.

[Jenise]

Mmm... almost sounds like a warm pasta salad. I love white beans. I'll bet it would be good with shaved parm regg instead of the feta, too.

Actually, the recipe calls for both--which I almost didn't do, it sounded wrong/confusing to me vs. all one or the other. But since I had both on hand I experimented with the combo and 100% of each, and found I actually liked the mixture. Wouldn't have bet on it, though.

Totally agree about the overuse of Balsamic, most of which is not good quality. Seems as if any sweet, dark vinegar qualifies. Lately I have expanded the # of types of vinegar I keep on hand just because of this dilemma. I have found that when in doubt a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or lime juice is often adequate. I try to keep a good Spanish Sherry vinegar in stock at all times and try a lot of other stuff hoping I will find something indispensable

I try to keep a good Spanish Sherry vinegar in stock at all times and try a lot of other stuff hoping I will find something indispensable

I find myself reaching for this too, as well as Champagne vinegar. Both before balsamic.

[Jenise]

I try to keep a good Spanish Sherry vinegar in stock at all times and try a lot of other stuff hoping I will find something indispensable

I find myself reaching for this too, as well as Champagne vinegar. Both before balsamic.

Same here. My fall-back workhorse vinegar is Heinz white wine vinegar. Balanced acidity, consistent from bottle to bottle, and no ugly dark stain.

Jenise
Indeed inexpensive At the moment we have some 20+ year old 'Gold' Balsamic, but then dregs of some cooked wine must and the same of a thick balsamic dressing. This might give better context to my comment!

It was interesting sampling the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, especially the way a meat dish might arrive swimming in a gravy that's 90% balsamic vinegar. Let's just say it gives a little impetus to one's constitution.

As to the olive oil + balsamic, it often seems to make the balsamic vinegar taste burnt, so I tend to avoid it. If I'm going to dip, then just a good (and fresh) olive oil is enough for me.

regards

Ian

[Jenise]

Jenise
Indeed inexpensive At the moment we have some 20+ year old 'Gold' Balsamic, but then dregs of some cooked wine must and the same of a thick balsamic dressing. This might give better context to my comment!

It was interesting sampling the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, especially the way a meat dish might arrive swimming in a gravy that's 90% balsamic vinegar. Let's just say it gives a little impetus to one's constitution.

As to the olive oil + balsamic, it often seems to make the balsamic vinegar taste burnt, so I tend to avoid it. If I'm going to dip, then just a good (and fresh) olive oil is enough for me.

regards

Ian

I have some of those nectar-rich balsamics which I reserve for condiment use only, too. Delicious drizzled over some fruits and some meats, and I'll admit to spiking my version of this dish with some of same. The real thing you speak of is not the factory-made harsh stuff that we're complaining about, though even then it would deserve more judicious use than most American restaurants put it to.