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Pink Beans with Sage

What you need

  1. 1 lb dry pink beans
  2. 1 large onion
  3. 3 Sage Stems (tips with about 6-8 2 inch leaves each)
  4. 2 Tbl Olive (or Bacon or duck fat if you don't need vegetarian)
  5. 6 cups water
  6. 1 1/2 - 2 tsp salt

How to make it

  1. Rinse beans and soak in water 8 hours or overnight
  2. Drain and rinse beans
  3. Carefully remove the dried roots from the onion. Leave enough of the root end so it will hold together during cooking. Slice into halves.
  4. Place onion halves into a large pot, cover with the rinsed beans.
  5. Add 6 cups water, 2 Tbl fat and sage stems
  6. Bring slowly just to a boil.
  7. Cover and reduce heat immediately to low.
  8. Simmer for about 1 - 2 hours depending on the beans. You'll need to check in about 1 hour for tenderness.
  9. When cooked to desired tenderness, remove from heat, remove sage and onion and add salt.
  10. Allow to stand for at least 20 minutes to absorb salt and cool slightly.
  11. Proceed to incorporate into bean recipe or serve with condiments.

There will probably be additional water when finished. Use a slotted spoon to remove beans. Don't use a colander or sieve or you'll crush the beans. Alternatively, you can use broth instead of water to cook the beans for a delicious soup. Add any fresh vegetables you wish when the beans are nearly tender. Spinach or Butternut Squash are very good.

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