Beans and pesto

Eastside Road,September 2, 2011—

NO, NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY, though now I think about it there's no reason beans wouldn't be good with pesto. But that's not the way it worked out.

The beans were lunch. “Marrowfat beans,” they were called, at the local farm stand where we bought them yesterday. We know them as “capucijners,” because we first met them in the Netherlands, and that's their native country; they were bred from Dutch peas in the last century — accounts vary as to where, exactly, and when; you could look it up. “Capucijners” because their color and shape apparently reminded the Dutch of the hooded habits of capuchin monks — funny to think these beans are related to espresso-with-foamed-milk!

They were delicious with sage and thyme from the garden. I thought too late that we have summer savory, too; but there's some beans left to cook; next time. It's a perfect match.

Also in the garden was a healthy basil plant, so I cut half its leaves this evening and made a pesto — just enough pine nuts left in the freezer; it's almost time to climb the pines for this year's crop. Dinner started with sliced tomatoes with Green Goddess Dressing, a nice late-summer dish; and went on to fusilli with the pesto.


Berries are in full season, too, of course; I picked a pint or two of blackberries, Lindsey found another pint of raspberries in her garden, and she combined them with strawberries from the same farm stand, sugaring them just enough to smooth and bring out the flavors. What a fine dinner; how nice to eat at home.

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Armento, 2009