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+ servings

Beans alla Nerano

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

  • 2 15 oz cans large Lima or butter beans (3 cups total)
  • 3 cups Zucchini sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup Olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup Provolone del Monaco or Provolone Stravecchio grated, plus more for garnish *(see notes)*
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 Lemon juiced, for garnish
  • Basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • Place thinly sliced zucchini rounds onto a paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt to remove moisture. Let sit for 10+ minutes, then pat dry.
  • In a wide shallow pan, heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the dried zucchini slices to the olive oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Do this in batches if needed.
  • Fry zucchini until it begins to brown, then remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean paper towel to remove excess oil. Once all zucchini is browned and removed, take a paper towel and wipe or dump out most of the olive oil. Retain around 2-3 tbsp.
  • To the still hot pan over medium heat, add 3 cups beans plus 1/2 cup heavy cream. Gentle simmer and fold in about half of the grated cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the fried zucchini back in with the beans and gently stir to combine. Allow this to gently simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is the consistency of your liking. Remove from the heat and fold in the remaining half of grated cheese and 2-3 torn basil leaves.
  • Serve the beans hot, spritzing a small amount of lemon juice, any remaining grated cheese, and a few basil leaves for garnish.