Pork and Beans

This Saturday, Cesare cooked an entire dinner for 10 at the Center for Discovery farm. What greeted us in the kitchen was a large tub with a pig's head and rump, and 3 caskets of beans. We were sent straight to work on the beans, chopping a "net of sapore" for Cesare's famous Republic of Beans heirloom beans.

Basic Beans
1 pound (2 1.2 cups) cannellini or any
other type of dried beans
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 head garlic
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 onion, quartered
1 tablespoon salt
Extra virgin olive oil, for serving

Long-Soak Method:

1. Pick over the beans to remove any stones or bad or broken beans. Rinse thoroughly.
2. Put the beans in a stockpot and cover with plenty of cold water. Soak for 6 to 12 hours. (If it’s warm, put the beans in the refrigerator.)
3. Drain the beans and return them to the pot with 4 quarts fresh cold water.
4. Wrap the herbs and garlic in a 6-inch square of cheesecloth and add it to the pot.
Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Bring the water to a low simmer, then cook until
the beans are done. Depending on their freshness and the variety of bean, this can take from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Keep checking them for doneness. After 30 minutes of
cooking, add the salt.
5. Remove and discard the cheesecloth bundle and the vegetables and drain. Serve the beans warm, drizzled with olive oil.

Quick-Cook Method:

1 Pick over the beans to remove any stones or bad or broken beans. Rinse thoroughly.
2 Put the beans in a stockpot and cover with 4 quarts cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hour.
3 Drain the beans and return them to the stockpot. Cover with 4 quarts fresh cold water.
4 Wrap the herbs and garlic in a 6-inch square of cheesecloth and add it to the pot. Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Bring the water to a boil and cook at a low simmer until the beans are done. Depending on their freshness and the variety of bean, this can take from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Keep checking them for doneness. After 30 minutes of cooking, add the salt.After preparing the beans, we got to work on dressing the pork for the cassoula. Cesare had me take the rump of the pig (with tail attached!) and cut slits in it, filling the slits with a finely chopped mix of rosemary, basil, garlic, fennel seed and thyme.

Meanwhile Cesare got to work on the head of the pig, by boiling a huge pot of water with celery, carrot and onion tossed inside. The pig's head floated on top and stared at me from across the work station.After 5 hours, both the rump and head were finished. Cesare swiftly excavated the head from under the carrots and celery, and tossed me pieces onto the cutting board. First came the cheeks (guanciale) that I had to cut the first layer of skin from. Then came the large, floppy ears, that I had to cut into bite size pieces. Lastly, the tongue flew at me, and, as I held it between my fingers, caressing its' tastebuds, I had to hand my knife over to Cesare. The tastebuds were too much. He had to finish the cassouela without me. Cassouela

1 1/2 lb lean pork
1/2 lb of italian pork sausage
1 pork ear
cabbage (weighing 2-3 lbs)
3 oz bacon fat
1/2 lb carrots, onion, stick of celery
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper
white wine
Tbs flour
1 oz butter

(Serves 4)

Melt butter in a large and heavy pan and in it brown the chopped bacon, the sliced onion, the carrots cut into rounds and the celery into short lengths. Now add the pork cut into think clices, the sausages (whole if they are small, and cut into chunks if it is a cotechino), and the pork ear.

Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf, and sprinkle with the flour. Pour over the white wine. Cover the pan and cook very slowly. If there is too little liquid add a little stock or water. While the meat is cooking clean the cabbage and cook it for 10 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain it, cut it into quarters, and add it to the casoeula 30 miutes before it is to be served. The whole process should take 1 1/2-2 hours, according to the quality of meat. Slices of plan or fried polenta are served with the cassoeula.

Happy eating! I hope you're able to finish your cassoeula (tongue and all!)

Nastassia

(Assistant to Cesare Casella)