Pickled Butter Beans

My college-going daughter introduced me to pickled butter beans available at the olive bar at Kroger in Bloomington, Indiana. It was love at first taste for me. So when I came back home I tried to look for these pickled beans at my local supermarket but they just didn’t seem to have any. Finally I found some at the Whole Foods but they were exorbitantly expensive – one tiny Tupperware box cost $6-7!!! Also the ones at Whole Foods had too much vinegar for me and the acidic taste was a bit too much for my palate. So I decided to make some of my own. I used some sun-dried tomatoes and fresh parsley to flavor the beans and if I may say so myself, the experiment was a big success! The only thing was that this time I used a canned of butter beans, the next time I will start with dry beans, soak them overnight and then slow cook them in a bit of water and then go through the pickling process.  The slow cooking is essential for the vinegar and flavor to permeate through the skin of the beans. These are so delicious that you would like to make a big batch and keep them in the refrigerator for times when you get the munchies and need to eat something healthy and delicious!!!

Ingredients:

1. 1 can of Butter Beans
2. 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3. 2 tablespoons of white Balsamic Vinegar
4. ½ tablespoon of honey
5. A few leaves of fresh flat leafed parsley
6. 2-3 small shallots
7. 3 cloves of garlic
8. Salt and pepper (to taste)
9. A pinch of red pepper flakes
10. 1.5 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes (preserved in olive oil – I got mine at Trader Joe’s)

Directions:

1. If you are using canned beans, drain the beans and wash them in cold water.
2. Peel and thinly slice the shallots
3. Also peel and slice the garlic cloves.
4. In a saucepan, pour the extra virgin olive oil and heat it on very low heat.

5. Add the sliced shallots and garlic to the hot oil and continue heating on low heat for about 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly.
6. Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce pan and stir.

7. Chop the parsley leaves finely and add to the sauce pan.
8. Add salt, pepper and red pepper. Stir everything.
9. Add the beans to the sauce pan and stir.

10. Add the Balsamic Vinegar and honey and stir and continue cooking on low heat for another 6-8 minutes.

11. Switch the heat off and stir the beans. When they have cooled down a little bit, place them in the refrigerator and chill the beans. Serve them chilled! They are ideal for a picnic or as part of a platter of antipasto.

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