CookEat Recipe
Fennel and Cannellini Sauce
Fully cooked cannellini beans give this fennel sauce a thick, creamy body without dairy. Raw fennel and shallot are blended into the cooled beans with dried oregano and both balsamic and red wine vinegars.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Wash the fresh produce and use clean utensils. Unless specified below, vegetable weights refer to the prepared edible parts. Reserve 120 ml of the listed water for blending; the remaining 3500 ml is for the soaking and cooking steps below.
Step 2
Use 180 g of dry cannellini beans, weighed before soaking or cooking. Pick over and rinse.
Step 3
Soak the cannellini beans in 1500 ml of the cooking water for 8 hours in the refrigerator. Drain, discard this water and rinse. Put them in a saucepan with a fresh 1500 ml of the water, keeping 500 ml aside to top up during cooking.
Step 4
Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes; then simmer for 90–120 minutes, until every bean crushes easily with a fork, adding the reserved cooking water if needed to keep them submerged. Follow any longer packet directions. Drain well and discard the cooking liquid and unused top-up water. Add acidic ingredients only after this cooking is complete.
Step 5
While the pulses simmer, prepare and cook the other components in the steps below. Keep the prepared raw ingredients refrigerated until needed; if cooked components are ready early, cool them promptly and refrigerate.
Step 6
Remove the fennel stalks, tough outer layer and hard core; slice the bulb very thinly. Peel and finely mince shallot. Use dried oregano leaves, measured without packing.
Step 7
Spread the cooked components in a shallow dish and let them cool for about 10 minutes until no longer hot before mixing with the fresh ingredients. Prepare the remaining ingredients while the cooked components cool.
Step 8
Combine the prepared fennel, cannellini beans, dried oregano, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, shallot in a blender with all the olive oil. Add the 120 ml of blending water. Blend until evenly combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl.
Step 9
Transfer to a clean serving container and rest for 10 minutes. Serve promptly, or refrigerate in a shallow covered container at 4°C or below and use within 2 days. Keep total time at room temperature under 2 hours; stir before serving.
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