Italian Pork and Beans

This is the first post since the Friday before my son was born. Yay for having my head above water for the first time in quite a while!

Here's a super yummy recipe that just so happens to be allergen-free. That means that Asher could eat it. Now if we can only get this almost-2-year-old to try it. Silly boy.

Rachael Ray's Italian Pork and Beans

3 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 pound pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and grated

2 celery ribs with leafy tops, finely chopped

2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

2 (15 oz) cans white bean, drained

salt and black pepper

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups tomato sauce

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the white beans and season liberally with salt and pepper, then stir in the stock and tomato sauce and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve the pork and beans in shallow bowls with crusty bread for mopping.

I didn't have pancetta but I did have a lot of bacon. Mmm...bacon. That'll work.

The bacon and vegetables cooking. It smelled divine.

I have a whole lot of dry beans in my pantry but have yet to do anything with them. This was my first attempt. I soaked the beans.

It was shortly after I had added them to the vegetables that I realized that soaked dry bean are not the same as canned beans. Oops!

That wasn't too big of a problem though. I just simmered the entire mixture for an hour and a half. The resulting product was really, really good. I've had it for lunches for the last three days in a row and if I had more, I'm sure I would continue eating it for days. The flavors are strong but delightful. This is one comfort food that I most definitely recommend.