White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

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White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

 

For Beans:

1 lb. dried cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed

1 lb. cipolline or small boiling onions, left unpeeled

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, preferably sea salt

 

For Tomatoes:

2 lb large tomatoes, cored and halved crosswise

1 to 2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

 

Cook beans: Cover beans with cold water by 2 inches in a bowl and soak at room

temperature at least 8 hours or quick-soak (see cooks' note, below). Drain well

in a colander.Blanch onions in boiling salted water, 1 minute, then drain and

peel. Cover beans with cold water by about 1 inch in a 5 to 6 quart pot and

bring to a boil. Add onions and simmer, partially covered, skimming froth as

necessary, until beans and onions are tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in

salt and let stand (in cooking liquid), uncovered. Roast tomatoes while beans

are cooking: Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500

degrees. Toss tomato halves and cherry tomatoes with salt, sugar, and oil in a

shallow 3-quart baking dish, then arrange tomato halves cut sides up. Roast

tomatoes, uncovered, until large tomatoes are very tender with brown patches

and cherry tomatoes are falling apart, 35 to 50 minutes. Assemble dish:

Transfer warm beans and onions with a slotted spoon

to a deep large platter. Arrange tomatoes decoratively on top of beans and

pour tomato juices on top. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Note: To quick-soak beans, cover dried beans with triple their volume of cold

water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, over moderate

heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat and soak beans 1 hour. Tomatoes can be roasted

2 hours ahead and kept, uncovered, at room temperature. Reheat, covered with

foil, in 350 degrees oven until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 8.