Pasta with Radicchio, White Beans, & Rosemary

From Deborah Madison’s Local Harvest

1 cup dried large white beans beans, (like cannelloni cannelloni)
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
3 plump garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbs minced ros rosemary emary
1 ½ pounds radicchio, sliced into ½ inch ribbons
1 pound dried pasta, such as gnocchi or shells
Freshly grated Parmesan

1. Sort through the beans, rinse them, then put them in a pressure cooker with 2 quarts water, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1 Tbs oliv olive oil. Bring to pressure and cook on high for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to fall naturally, then open the pot. Take a taste. If you’re not using a pressure cooker, soak the bens for 4 hours (or cover with boiling water and let stand for an hour), then drain. Rinse and re re-cover with 2 quarts cold water. Add the salt and oil; bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, until tender, about 1 ½ hours. Drain and reserve the cooking water.

2. Put on a pot of water for the pasta.

3. Heat 2 Tbs of remaining oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté over high heat until lightly browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, half the rosemary, and the radicchio and season with 1 tsp salt. Sauté until the radicchio is limp, a few minutes longer, and then add the beans and 1 cup of their cocking liquid. Bring to boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. It’s nice if there’s a little broth at the end, so add liquid as needed.

4. Salt the pasta water, add the pasta, and cook until al dente. When done, drain and add it immediately to the pan. Add the remaining rosemary and season well with pepper. Toss everything together, and then divide among heated pasta bowls. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over each serving. Add another twist of pepper, and lightly grate the cheese over all.

Ok to half this recipe!