Friday, April 3, 2009

White Beans with Roasted Red Pepper and Pesto

NEED:

Pesto:
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed

Beans:
1 pound dried Great Northern beans
10 cup water, divided
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

To prepare pesto, combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

To prepare beans, sort and wash the beans. Combine beans and 4 cups water in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure, and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid; drain beans.

Combine beans, 6 cups water, onion, sage, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 garlic cloves in cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid; let bean mixture stand for 10 minutes. Drain bean mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup liquid. Return bean mixture and reserved 1 cup liquid to cooker. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, bell peppers, and vinegar. Stir well to combine. Top bean mixture with pesto.

ENJOY!

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