The Beautiful Borlotti: Speckled Cranberry Beans {5 Recipes}

Borlotti, Speckled, Cranberry, Saluggia or even French Horticultural – the name matters not, it's the tell-tale color & creamy savory flavor.

The cranberry speckled barlotti bean is my favorite legume. It's gorgeous color is almost whimsical as you break open the pods retrieving the plump beans inside, while the soft nutty consistency rounds out soups & salads perfectly any time of the year. Beans are low in fat and loaded with nutrients, so pick up a few handful of fresh beans at the next farmer's market (or better yet plant a row next spring!)

Growing:

Beans are a farmer's best friend, they are wonderfully resourceful in the garden, repairing the soil by replacing nitrogen that plants like tomatoes & peppers take out. Borlotti beans grow big & beautiful in our garden and preserve wonderfully dried or frozen (uncooked). We plant the borlotti the same time as the other beans in the spring: green beans, solfino, etc. They are very easy to grow.

Cooking:

Fresh beans should be boiled in plenty of water with a few vegetable scraps (celery tops, carrot peels, ends of onions, etc.) thrown in until tender. Dried beans should be soaked overnight in fresh cold water and then cooked the same way as above. When cooked the beans loose their pretty purple speckles. The nutty-almost-meaty flavor of these beans perfectly compliments hardier herbs like sage and oregano.

A few fabulous cranberry/borlotti bean recipes to in any season:

Cranberry Bean, Cherry Tomato & Cucumber Salad + Wedge of Pecorino Cheese = Picnic Perfect

Simply Beans & Olive Oil on Toast

In the fall try adding a few handfuls to a hearty bean & bread soup like Ribollita

Barlotti with Braised Onions, Tomatoes & Broccoli Rabe' (Cime di Rapa)

A heavy winter dish like Borlotti & Sausages is just what you crave as the temperatures drop below freezing.

For more photos of this beautiful bean visit our blog at La Tavola Marche