CelinaBean Beans

CelinaBean is one of those people who always has something captivating to say. Something thoughtful, something useful, something positive, just flat out something nice. So when she talks, I listen. And when she types, I read it.

I read this "imperfect" recipe for Roman beans and anchovies. Imperfect my foot. It's so briny and fishy and good. I'd never even thought of combining anchovies with beans for a sauce, and now this anchovy sauce is all I can think of. I want to put it over everything I eat, and I want a cup of it on the side to sip out of while I eat the foods that are covered in it.

It is that good.

I had some Dragon's Tongue beans I purchased from the Troy Farmers Market. At $4 per quart, they weren't exatly what I'd consider cheap, but they lasted a very long time in my fridge, and were enough for a few side dishes for two people.

Clearly, I bought them with my eyes, because, "HELLO, pretty purple streaky lines in beans! OMG need in mouth!!" was the first thing to pop in my mind. They are like Roman beans in shape - long, flat, with ends that need to be snipped. They were fine to crunch and munch on raw, but are better cooked up.

I lightly blanched them for about a minute or three in some water.

While they were blanching, I got started on the sauce. What I love about Celina's recipes is that they're jumping points, and I don't feel weird changing up the ingredients or amounts too much. I feel like it's okay to play with what you've got on hand, and that you don't need to run out to the store to get every specific ingredient.
Like, I didn't have tomatoes, but I did have some tomatillos that needed to get cooked up, so I chopped 'em up and tossed them in. And I completely nixed the potatoes, too.

But I went ahead and sauteed my garlic and tomatillos together. Nothing was going to stop me from anchovies and beans! Nada!


The Dragon's Tongue beans lost some of their pretty purple highlights in the blanching process, and the pale yellow background color was the more dominant color.

I was worried about overcooking the beans, but knew they'd turn yellow if they were boiled all the way, so I pulled them before they lost all of their purpleiness. In a way, Dragon's Tongue beans are a great way to guage your cooking time so you don't end up with mushy beans. I really hate mushy veggies, and my theory worked and these stayed just a bit firm.

Once I pulled the beans, it was show time! The anchovies melted into the sauce with just a bit of stirring over the heat. It perfumed my kitchen with a wonderful anchovy aroma. Now there's a room freshener spray only some of us would love.

I tossed in the beans, and after letting them cook for a few minutes, some whole button mushrooms as well. Dudes, this meal was awesome, but really - it was all the sauce. Make the sauce. Love it.