Southern-style Romano Beans
Recently I had a craving for Southern-style vegetables: cooked for a long time with a cured pork product. I saw some nice Romano beans at the market, and decided they’d be just the thing. I had wanted to cook some when they were in season last year, but never got a chance.
Romano beans are a type of broad, flat snap bean. Depending on when they were harvested, they could be suited for either fast cooking, like most green beans, or long cooking. The Southern style for snap beans is to cook them for a long time with cured pork. This recipe is my take on a standard, simple Southern recipe for snap beans.
To check if the beans need stringing, I cut up one small bean into pieces the size that I’ll ultimately be using, and put them in a coffee mug with water to cover. I seal the mug with plastic wrap, then microwave for a minute and a half to cook the single bean. Then I eat it to see if it’s too stringy.
Southern-style pole beans are cooked a long time in a little bit of water with plenty of pork – essentially a braise. They cook down until they’re very soft (but not mushy), and they’re served topped with vinegar to cut the pork fat. There’s not often a lot else, but I decided to add some Old Bay, onion, and smashed garlic. They turned out really nicely.
Southern-style Romano Beans
- 1 1/2 lbs romano beans
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon (about 1/4 lb)
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups water
- red pepper flakes to taste
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
String the beans if necessary. Cut into bite-size pieces. Slice bacon into pieces, and begin rendering it in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Thinly slice the onion and add to the pot once the bacon fat is rendered. Add the two peeled, smashed garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and a large pinch of salt. Saute until the onion softens, then add the beans. Stir everything up, then add the water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook for an hour.
After the hour, remove the lid, increase the heat, and let the remaining water begin to boil off. When most of it is gone, turn off the heat, sprinkle over the red wine vinegar and salt to taste, and serve.
