Fresh Cranberry Beans!

With all the Thanksgiving love going to the cranBERRY lately, I thought I’d throw a bone to that other “cranberry” the BEAN, AKA borlotti bean. On a Sunday excursion to a 24-hour Korean supermarket in Flushing, Queens (one of the million reasons Queens is the best food borough!), I came across fresh, shelled cranberry beans. Fresh shell beans are a real treat, and whenever you find them, grab them up. You can always cook them and then freeze them, but I decided to make a simple bean salad. You can use the cooking method below for any fresh shell bean, and the salad can be made with canned beans or soaked/cooked dried beans. (Cannellini beans work especially well.)

Fresh Cranberry Bean Salad:

1. Cover beans with about an inch of water, and bring to a boil; cover and turn heat to low. They should be cooked (but still al dente) in about 20-25 minutes.  Drain.
   
2. Toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped parsley, 1 clove chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and feta cheese.

This is delicious served warm, and would make a complete meal with some roast potatoes and greens. Alternately, you can mash the beans and serve with crustades as an hors d’oeuvres.

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