Bruschetta with Borlotti Beans and Prosciutto di Parma

From the kitchen of Carly

Creamy borlotti beans cooked down with pancetta, fennel, and red wine, then spooned onto crispy bread with prosciutto di Parma. Earthy, salty, deeply satisfying. The kind of appetizer that makes you forget about the rest of the menu.

Bruschetta with Borlotti Beans and Prosciutto di Parma

Creamy borlotti beans braised down with fennel, wine, and tomato, then spooned over toasted bread and draped with prosciutto. This is Italian comfort built on layers of umami and texture: the beans give you body, the pancetta base gives you depth, and the salt-cured ham seals the deal. It's a starter that feels abundant without being fussy.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 1/4 cupdried borlotti or cranberry beans
  • 1/2 lbbacon or pancetta, diced
  • 1 cupchopped yellow onion
  • 1 cupdiced celery
  • 1 cupdiced fennel
  • 1 1/2 tspkosher salt
  • 1 tspcayenne
  • 1/2 tspfreshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tspminced garlic
  • 1 cupred wine
  • 1One 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cupchicken stock, plus more if needed
  • 2 tbspred wine vinegar
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1 tbspunsalted butter
  • 1"8 slices Ricks Basic Bruschetta", 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tspchopped fresh sage
  • 8thin slices prosciutto di Parma
  • 1Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Drop the dried beans into a bowl or pot. Cover with enough cold water that the beans submerge fully. Let them soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours. Refresh the soaking water once or twice if you can.

  2. Drain the soaked beans and tip them into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with water by an inch or two. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Drop the heat to medium-low, skim away any foam that floats to the top, and simmer for around 1 hour, until the beans are nearly tender to the bite. Monitor the water level and refill as needed. The beans must stay fully submerged in liquid throughout the cooking process.

  3. Drain the beans once cooked and let them cool at room temperature. Cover the cooled beans and refrigerate until needed. They keep this way for up to 2 days.

  4. Take a large pot to medium-high heat with the bacon. Cook for around 6 minutes, until brown with rendered fat. Add the onion, celery, fennel, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Cook while stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion softens. Drop in the garlic and stir for around 30 seconds before pouring in the wine. Bring everything to a boil, then drop to a brisk simmer and reduce by half.

  5. Pour the tomatoes in with their juices. Cook 2 minutes, then add the stock, vinegar, bay leaf, and the cooked beans.

  6. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drop the heat to medium-low, season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes (stirring occasionally) until everything turns tender. Splash in more stock if needed to keep the beans moistened. Stir the butter through until incorporated.

  7. Pull the beans from the heat and let them cool in the cooking liquid until warm or at room temperature.

  8. Combine the basil and sage in a small bowl.

  9. Scoop some beans from the pot with a slotted spoon and pile onto each toast. Drain carefully when lifting the beans; too much liquid will make the bruschetta soggy.

  10. Crown each bruschetta with 1 slice of prosciutto and a sprinkle of the mixed herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Soak the beans at least 8 hours, changing the water once or twice if you can. This cuts cooking time and reduces bloat. Don't skip it.
  • The beans need to stay submerged while they simmer. Keep checking the water level and top it off with hot water as needed, or they'll turn grainy.
  • Cook the braising base until the wine is reduced by half before you add the beans. That concentration of flavor makes the entire dish.
  • Taste for salt near the end. Prosciutto is already salty, so go gentle if you're planning to pile it on the bruschetta.

Variations

  • Use white beans instead. Cannellini or Great Northern beans pick up all the same flavors and have a silkier body.
  • Skip the prosciutto and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and a crack of pepper. You get elegance without the salt.
  • Make it vegetarian by swapping the pancetta for equal weight mushrooms sautéed down in olive oil first. You'll get the same richness.
  • Add a pinch of smoked paprika along with the cayenne. It won't change the character, but it rounds everything out.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat low and slow on the stove with a splash of stock to loosen it back up. Freezes well for up to 2 months, beans and all.