Beautiful Borlotti

A trip to Vomero food market yesterday brought the welcome surprise of one of my favourite Italian fresh ingredients, borlotti beans.  I have always associated these with my Italian family, where they are grown in gardens, cooked in season and preserved or frozen for the winter months.  My mother always used to set aside bags of them in her deep freeze as she knew how difficult they were to come by fresh in England,  and was known to bring them over to us in the UK on more than one occasion - gently defrosting en route!  While she often makes 'pasta e fagioli' with them, I prefer them as a side dish.  Just gently soften finely chopped onion and garlic in good olive oil then add some fresh chopped ripe tomatoes.  Boil the podded beans separately for about 20 minutes (when they lose their beauty and turn a dull light brown), adding a bay leaf or bouquet garni if you wish, then drain and add to the olive oil mixture, seasoning to taste.  Lovely warm, at room temperature or even in a salad with big flakes of good quality tuna fillets (the type you get in jars with olive oil).