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Cranberry Beans with Polenta
Ingredients
  • Tomato Sauce
  • 3 T. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1 medium fennel bulb trimmed and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 4 t. chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
  • Salt
  • 1 small carrot peeled and shredded
  • One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes or plum tomatoes
  • Freshly-ground pepper
  • Beans
  • 2 C. drained cooked cranberry or borlotti beans--I used Rancho Gordo cranberry beans
  • 1/3 C. fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • Polenta
  • 4 C. water
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 C. polenta
  • 2 T. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 C. freshly-grated Asiago cheese plus more for garnishing
  • Freshly-ground pepper
  • Chopped parsley and additional shredded cheese for garnish and maybe a pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
  1. Prepare the sauce in a heavy pot. Melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion, fennel, garlic, 2 t. oregano, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in the melted butter for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and fragrant. Add the shredded carrot and continue sautéing the mixture for two more minutes. Add the tomatoes (I broke the tomatoes up with my hands before mixing them into the stew. You can chop the tomatoes if you aren't feeling particularly like a hands-on experience.) Add a pinch more salt and simmer the mixture over a low- low heat (uncovered) for 2-3 hours. You will want the tomatoes to begin separating from the oil.
  2. When the tomato mixture is cooked, add the remaining chopped oregano and additional salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked beans.
  3. While the tomato/bean mixture is cooking, make the polenta. Bring water to a boil. Add the salt to the water. Whisk the polenta into the water in a steady stream. (You don't want lumps! Yuck.) Reduce the heat and cook over a low heat until the polenta mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. This will take 40-45 minutes. Stir in the butter and the Asiago. Season with pepper. Cover to keep warm until you are ready to serve the polenta topped with the bean stew.
  4. Garnish with grated cheese and chopped parsley and a pinch of cayenne if you are feeling wild.