Day 222 - Italian Beans Ragout

When I was a massage therapist one of my italian clients brought a dish similar to this for me for lunch one day.  It was to die for.  I never got the recipe and while this is close it will never be what her's was.





 olive oil
4 slice of bacon chopped
1/4 cup shallots chopped
garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup borlotti  bean  ( I added some white kidney beans and brown beans too)
2 cups chicken broth
lemon juice
cayenne pepper pinch
1 tsp sambal oelek hot chile paste
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, oregano, basil)

Directions

1. Cook and stir olive oil and bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until bacon is fully cooked and begins to crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off excess grease, leaving a teaspoon in the pan.
2. Stir shallots and salt into the cooked bacon; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beans, chicken broth, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the beans begin to swell, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue cooking bean and bacon mixture until the liquid reduces and beans are tender, 5 to 10 more minutes. Add  lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Adjust levels of salt and black pepper. Remove from heat, stir in extra-virgin olive oil, hot chile paste, and fresh herbs.