Burrata Sandwich with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes
Make this easy burrata sandwich with marinated cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and crusty bread for a fresh, flavorful summer lunch.
Rancho Gordo Borlotti Bean Soup with Summer Squash, Sweet Corn & Tubetti
There are certain ingredients that deserve to be the star of the dish.
Rancho Gordo Borlotti beans are one of them. They are also know as cranberry beans here in America.
The beans themselves are creamy and rich, but what really makes this soup special is the cooking liquid. As the borlotti beans simmer, they create a silky broth that's packed with flavor. I used every last cup of it—about four cups in all—before adding chicken stock to build the soup.
The result is a broth with incredible body that tastes like it simmered all day.
Fresh summer squash, sweet corn, crispy pancetta, sage, Parmesan rind, and tubetti pasta turn that remarkable bean broth into one of my favorite soups of the summer.
One interesting influence came from my time living in South Korea.
Koreans often add zucchini or squash to soups and stews, whether it's kalguksu with its delicate clam broth or doenjang jjigae, where squash softens the earthy fermented soybean flavor. The squash doesn't overpower the broth. Instead, it makes it taste cleaner and fresher.
That lesson stayed with me.
Now I reach for summer squash whenever I want a broth that feels lighter while still tasting deeply satisfying.
How to Build Flavor in Rancho Gordo Borlotti Bean Soup
The secret isn't adding more ingredients.
It's layering flavor.
Start by crisping diced pancetta until golden, then remove it and reserve it for garnish. Use the rendered fat to slowly cook onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until everything becomes sweet and lightly caramelized.
Stir in tomato paste and let it darken for a couple of minutes before adding:
- 4 cups Rancho Gordo Borlotti bean broth
- 2–4 cups chicken stock
- Cooked borlotti beans
- Parmesan rind
- Fresh sage
- Bay leaf
Let the broth simmer for about 15 minutes before adding the vegetables.
The zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet corn only need about 8–10 minutes. They should stay bright and tender rather than falling apart.
Finally, stir in the tubetti pasta until just al dente.
Before serving, mash a small handful of the beans against the side of the pot. They naturally thicken the broth without adding cream.
Finish each bowl with:
- Crispy pancetta
- Fresh parsley
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Good olive oil
- Fresh black pepper
- A splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice
That last splash wakes everything up.
A Different Take on the Three Sisters
If this soup feels familiar, it should.
Earlier this summer I made a Three Sisters Soup, inspired by the Native American combination of beans, squash, and corn.
This recipe uses many of those same ingredients but heads in a completely different direction.
Instead of herbs and spices from the American Southwest, this one leans Italian with Parmesan rind, sage, pancetta, and pasta. The ingredients are similar, but the flavors tell an entirely different story.
If you enjoyed the Three Sisters Soup, I think you'll enjoy this one too.
Some soups are about richness.
Others are about freshness.
This one somehow manages to be both.
The borlotti beans give the broth remarkable depth, while the summer vegetables keep every spoonful bright and alive. It's exactly the kind of meal I want on a rainy July evening.
Recipe
Serves: 6–8
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pancetta, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3–4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4–5 cups cooked Rancho Gordo Borlotti beans
- About 4 cups reserved borlotti bean broth
- 2–4 cups chicken stock
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Kernels from 2 ears cooked sweet corn
- 3–5 fresh sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan rind
- ¾–1 cup tubetti pasta
- Fresh parsley
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red wine vinegar
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Crisp the pancetta. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve for garnish.
- Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in the rendered fat until softened and lightly caramelized.
- Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens.
- Add the bean broth, chicken stock, borlotti beans, Parmesan rind, sage, and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, yellow squash, and corn. Simmer 8–10 minutes.
- Stir in the tubetti and cook until al dente.
- Finish with parsley, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and a splash of red wine vinegar.
- Top each bowl with crispy pancetta, good EVOO and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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Made with Bullet