The fresh borlotti bean soup, a healthy starter like all legumes, perfect for the colder seasons. Borlotti are a legume of American origin, known in Italy for some centuries. Its name seems to be a Lombard term “borlare” meaning to roll, probably due to its rounded shape. Borlotti beans are a mix of colors between white, red, and pink, have an intense flavor, and are often used for minestrone, soups, and broths, associated with grains like rice, spelt, barley, or pasta. You can find borlotti either dried, canned, or fresh. The period to find fresh borlotti beans starts from June until autumn, but I have also found them in December. In this recipe, I prepared them in a soup with maltagliati, a type of egg pasta that can be homemade or bought dried, a fabulous combination. To speed up the process, I cooked them in a pressure cooker and in 25/30 minutes they will be ready. So you just have to try them!!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 21 oz fresh borlotti beans (shelled)
- 2 oz smoked bacon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp vegetable stock cube
- 14 oz maltagliati
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 small onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 leaf bay
- 6 cups water
- oil
- salt
- 1 clove garlic
Tools
- Pressure Cooker
Steps
First, shell the borlotti beans, then rinse and set aside.
Cut the bacon into strips or cubes, clean and chop the vegetables into small pieces.
In the pot, add oil to cover the bottom, heat on low, and add the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, and bacon. Sauté for about 5 minutes on low, until the vegetables soften.
Meanwhile, dissolve the stock cube in a cup of hot water and add the tomato paste. Add the borlotti to the sauté, slightly raise the heat, and pour in the cup of broth.
Then add the water to cover the borlotti. Close the pressure cooker with the lid and increase the heat. Once it whistles, lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes.
Once the time is up, turn off the heat and before opening the pot, release all the steam from the valve, then you can open it. The borlotti are ready, and you can proceed with cooking the pasta.
Remove the garlic, turn the heat to moderate, and add the maltagliati, in 3/4 minutes they will be ready.
The fresh borlotti bean soup is ready. Enjoy your meal!!!
Storage
You can store seasoned and cooked fresh borlotti in the fridge for up to 2 days. Otherwise, for longer storage, you can cook them with just water and salt and freeze them for a couple of months.
Tips
If you can’t find fresh borlotti beans, you can prepare dried ones in the same way, remembering to soak them overnight.
