Prawns and white beans Venetian-style
Recipe by Ursula Ferrigno
SERVES 4
Preparation 20 minutes
Cooking 1 hour 30 minutes
125g dried cannellini beans, soaked in cold water overnight
2 rosemary sprigs
3 bay leaves
3 thyme sprigs
3 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
500g large raw prawns in shell
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges, to serve
Drain the cannellini beans and place in a large pan. Add plenty of cold water to cover, and the herbs and unpeeled garlic. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for about 1½ hours or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans and discard the herbs and garlic.
Add the prawns to a pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 2 minutes or until they just turn pink. Immediately drain, peel and de-vein them (see below).
Combine the beans and prawns in a bowl and add the celery, along with the lemon juice and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper, drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and toss to mix. Serve with lemon wedges.
