• Course: Main Course

Ingredients:

• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
• 1/2 rib celery, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into quarters
• 1/4 medium fennel bulb
• 1 3- to 4-ounce piece of pancetta
• 1 pound yellow eye, vaquero, marrow or white runner beans, soaked and drained (see related TIPS on soaking and cooking)
• 3 cups store-bought or homemade low-sodium chicken broth
• Water
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cornichons, drained
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 3/4 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 large soft-cooked egg
• 1 oil-packed anchovy fillet
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups arugula leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup chervil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup tarragon leaves, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions:

For the stew: Combine the thyme, parsley and bay leaf on a piece of cheesecloth. Gather the corners and tie the bundle securely with kitchen twine.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion, fennel and pancetta; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and caramelize. Add the beans, the cheesecloth bundle of herbs, chicken broth and enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low or low and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are just tender.

Transfer the beans and their broth to a large bowl and let cool. Remove and discard the vegetables, pancetta and cheesecloth bundle. Drain the beans, reserving the broth.

While the beans are cooking, make the pesto: Combine the cornichons, capers, mustard, garlic, egg and anchovy in a blender. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until it is completely incorporated. Add the arugula, spinach, chervil and 1/2 cup of tarragon; puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the beans and their reserved broth in a medium saucepan and heat gently over medium-low heat. Add about 1 cup of the pesto and stir to incorporate, making sure not to let the stew boil. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Ladle the stew into individual warmed bowls. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of tarragon and the parsley; serve hot.

The new "Heirloom Beans" cookbook by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington (Chronicle, 2008) devotes four pages to the basics of soaking and cooking a simple pot of beans, but Sando has boiled the key techniques down to a three-minute video on YouTube.com.

Part of the reason these steps work so well is that he uses his Rancho Gordo heirloom beans, which have great flavor and great variety in texture and color. Excerpts, with cookbook information in parentheses:

- Rinse the beans (one pound).

- Soak for about six hours (in a bowl, covered with water by about 1 inch).

- When ready to cook, heat some oil in a medium pot (over medium heat).

- Chop up some carrot, celery and onion (all in big chunks) and smash some cloves of garlic. Add to the pot.

- When the vegetables are soft, add the beans and cover with water by about 1 inch (soaking liquid also may be added).

- Bring the water to a rapid, full boil.

- Reduce the heat to a mere simmer (medium-low) and allow the beans to cook, covered, for about 1 to 2 hours.

- When the beans are soft, add salt to taste. (In the cookbook, Sando recommends adding a scant 2 teaspoons of salt per pot that starts with 1 pound of dried beans. He cooks the beans a while longer so that they soak up the flavor.)

Recipe Source:

Adapted from "Heirloom Beans," by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington (Chronicle, 2008).

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