2 cups dried large lima beans
2 small onions
2 carrots
½ cup olive oil
2 small garlic cloves
¾ pound vine ripened tomatoes
hot red pepper flakes
½ cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
Pick through
- 2 cups picked over dried large lima beans
removing any foreign objects (rocks) you find. Place them in a 3-quart saucepan, cover them with plenty of water and soak them overnight, at least 5 hours. Drain off the water and add fresh water to cover them by at least two inches, add
- 2-3 tsp salt
and bring to a boil. Skim the froth off the top, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until tender, checking at least a few beans to be sure they are uniformly cooked. It will take about 30 minutes, maybe longer for older beans. Drain them in a colander.
In pan, cook over moderately low heat
- 2 small onions, chopped fine
- 2 carrots, chopped fine
- ½ cup olive oil
Peel, seed and chop fine
- ¾ pound fresh tomatoes (in winter, I use canned tomatoes)
When carrots are tender, add in chopped tomatoes and
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
Continue cooking until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and season with
- salt
- hot red pepper flakes
to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. Stewed beans may be made three days ahead and chilled, covered. Their flavor improves during this time. Bring beans to room temperature.
Wash
- ½ cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
dry them and chop finely. Stir parsley into beans before serving.