Serve as a side dish with sautéed spicy pork or combine with pasta for a main course. I sometimes process them into a purée and serve as a side with meat or chicken. You can use fava or broad beans too.
Servings: Six
Ready Time: 2½ hours
Ingredients
2 cups dried large lima or broad beans
1 lemon cut in quarters
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 onion cut in quarters
1 bay leave
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon seeded chopped red chili pepper
2 ounces (60 grams) prosciutto, diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Method
Cover lima beans with water by 2 inches in a pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat, cover and let sit for one hour. Drain well and rinse beans.
Place beans back into pot; add lemon, garlic, onion, bay leaves and thyme. Cover with water by an inch and bring to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat and simmer beans until tender, about 1 hour. Drain beans, reserving liquid, and discard flavourings except for garlic cloves.
Heat oil in sauté pan on medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic, chili and prosciutto and sauté until onions are quite soft, another 5 minutes. Add beans and toss in oil and flavourings. Add 1½ cups reserved bean cooking liquid and reserved whole garlic cloves (peeled).
Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until beans have a thick sauce. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley.
Lucy Waverman