Stewed Borlotti Beans

By Florence Fabricant

Published January 4, 2011

  • Sabra Krock for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
2½ hours
Rating
5(24)
Comments
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Pop the cap from a bottle of dunkel alongside that pastrami on rye. The beer’s bitter, hoppy finish has touches of smoke and spice, like the rich meat. But its relatively light body balances the succulence of the sandwich.Taking the deli icon as my inspiration, I simmered some borlotti beans (kidney, black or cannellini beans would do just as well) with chunks of pastrami instead of the more usual smoked pork or sausages. Mustard seeds, cumin and black pepper picked up the seasonings in the meat. The caraway suggested seeded rye. For a final grace note, I swirled in some prepared mustard.Serve the beans for a hearty lunch or supper, with slabs of sturdy rye bread and pickles.

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

FOR THE STEWED BORLOTTI BEANS

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 ½ cups borlotti or other dried beans (about 10 ounces)

  • 3 thyme sprigs

  • 4 ½ to 5 cups beef stock

  • ½ pound pastrami, in one piece

  • Salt

  • pepper

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 to 4 servings)

52 grams carbs; 39 milligrams cholesterol; 443 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 1233 milligrams sodium; 36 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. FOR THE STEWED BORLOTTI BEANS

    1. Step 1

      Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat until soft. Stir in the mustard seeds, caraway and cumin. Cook a minute or so, then stir in the beans and thyme. Add 4 ½ cups stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer. Cut pastrami into 6 pieces and add.

    2. Step 2

      Simmer, stirring from the bottom occasionally to make sure the beans are not sticking, adding a little more stock as needed. After an hour, season with salt and pepper. Simmer another 45 minutes to an hour, until the beans are tender and the broth has thickened and reduced and is no longer soupy.

    3. Step 3

      Scoop a half cup or so of the stew into a small dish, mix well with the Dijon mustard and stir back into the pot. Thin with additional stock if needed before serving.

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5 out of 5
24 user ratings
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Comments

brooke from Los Gatos, CA

I doubled the recipe to use up my beans, I soaked overnight first and cooked for a bit longer, I used one half dunkel beer and the other half beef broth, very delicious! The beans are pillowy soft and the saucy broth is delicious. I bet it’s even better tomorrow on toast. Yum!

brooke from Los Gatos, CA

I doubled the recipe to use up my beans, I soaked overnight first and cooked for a bit longer, I used one half dunkel beer and the other half beef broth, very delicious! The beans are pillowy soft and the saucy broth is delicious. I bet it’s even better tomorrow on toast. Yum!

brooke from Los Gatos, CA

Are we not supposed to add dunkel to the beans?

Charlotte K

I did an incredibly stupid thing which was forget to buy the pastrami when I was at the store picking up other items for this dish. I want to make it again as written, but except for the pastrami, it was, and it's GREAT! Still I can imagine the added depth from the pastrami.

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