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Braised Cranberry Beans with Quick-Pickled Tomatoes
This dish was inspired in part by recipe in “Spice,” by chef Ana Sortun, an expert in Mediterranean cuisine. Cranberry beans (also called Roman beans or borlotti beans) are cooked with butter and aromatics, then are finished with quick-pickled tomatoes that add acidity to brighten the earthiness of the beans. Plain yogurt and a fistful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley are excellent, but optional, garnishes. These beans are excellent as a side dish to roasted or grilled meats, or you can serve them as a vegetarian main, perhaps with a cucumber salad and crusty bread alongside.
4-6
Servings
Don't use double-concentrated tomato paste (the type often sold in a tube), as its strong flavor will overwhelm the other ingredients. Opt instead for regular tomato paste sold in a can.
FAST: 1¾ hours
Slow: 8 to 8½ hours
35 minutes active
Ingredients
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2
cups dried cranberry beans (see note), rinsed and drained
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
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01In a 6-quart Instant Pot, stir together the beans, 2 teaspoons salt, the baking soda and 6 cups water. Lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 5 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release the steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot. Using potholders, carefully remove the insert from the housing and drain the beans in a colander; return the insert to the housing. Rinse the beans under cool water; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the tomatoes, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Select Normal/Medium Sauté on the Instant Pot. Add the butter and melt. Add the tomato paste, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bay and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mint, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Add the drained beans and 3 cups water; stir to combine, then distribute in an even layer.
Hi John -
We’re so glad you're exploring our recipes. We are so sorry to hear that you're disappointed that we added the 100 or so recipes from our best-selling cookbook, Fast & Slow, to our website. We made this decision during the pandemic to give our subscribers, who might have an Instant Pot at home, access to these additional recipes since so many of us were experimenting with different equipment and ingredients during this time.
There are still over 1,000 recipes on our website that do not require an Instant Pot. Many of the Instant Pot recipes are actually versions of recipes we've previously or subsequently published for stovetop or oven cooking. If that is the case, you will find the additional recipes (possibly with a different title) when you do a search, so check them all even if the title is slightly different.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Why do you have so many recipes which provide detailed Instant Pot directions without providing alternative directions for those who do not have an Instant Pot? As popular as these devices have become, most savvy home cooks still do things the old-fashioned way. This is extremely inconsiderate to your paying subscribers and seems to indicate that Milk Street may have a paid sponsorship deal with Instant Pot. It's very disappointing to see Milk Street take this elitist approach.