Judion beans, ricotta mustia and I am maybe reading too much MFK Fisher

Judion beans with sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary and ricotta mustia



Start with some plump, cooked judion beans and with a light hand anoint them with your best olive oil. Dip your fingers into a pot of crunchy sel de guérande and take but a pinch! Then watch as the grains tumble recklessly over the ivory beans. Take the pepper mill in hand and let the aggressive crack of the peppercorns ring in your ears. It will take all your willpower to resist the urge to eat the beans right then and there.
But if you do, you will be forgiven.

If you've made it this far, it will serve you well to add a flourish of chopped, marinated, sun-dried tomatoes. And I beg you not to stop until the earthy green of fresh rosemary decorates the bowl. And in the final act, before the curtain is drawn, add a bit of the softest, freshest cheese you can find so that each bite melts into your mouth and does not distract you from the soft, lush beans. Might I humbly suggest ricotta? And if you can find it, I promise you your tastebuds will ignite under the smoky warmth of ricotta mustia.

And I know it may be too much to ask, but if you can resist temptation for just another minute or two, consider how perfect this whole affair would be alongside a fresh arugula salad and a wedge torn from a doughy loaf of bread to mop up every last bit of oil and salt from the bottom of your bowl.

In closing dear friends I must forewarn you that this salad is most certainly the sum of its parts. If the bean on its own does not inspire you, if the sun-dried tomato makes you wince or heaven forbid the olive oil does not make you close your eyes and drift away into your daydreams, well then, might I suggest perhaps a bowl of soup for dinner instead?


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The players

*Ricotta mustia = smoked ricotta. I had never heard of this before I saw it at Whole Foods last week. And wow, it is some kind of smoky! It has a fantastic flavour. It runs the risk of overpowering anything you put it with so I think it must be used carefully.

Judion beans--a Spanish butter bean. You may be surprised to learn that I bought mine in a jar. These jars are easily found in the UK at Sainsbury's and Waitrose and the Borough Market, as they are imported from Spain by Brindisa. They are big white beans and probably a bit softer than they should be because they are sitting in brine, but I LOVE THEM. If you want to cook your own from dried, be my guest. Additionally, I think any canned white bean would be ok as a substitute. The main thing is that they taste good just on their own --if you're not starting out with a good bean then this "non-recipe" won't taste like much.

I am in love with Waitrose brand chargrilled sundried tomatoes. G and I throw them on everything --from pizza to chickpeas to arugula salads. Everytime we move it takes me a while before I find a brand of marinated sundried tomatoes that doesn't leave me disappointed. The first time I tried this brand I was hooked.

Olive oil- if there's one thing I have learned not to skimp on, it's good olive oil.


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Post disclaimer: No, I haven't lost my mind. I'm just in the middle of reading this.