Back in July of 2010 I posted a recipe for Escarole and Beans. This was a recipe from my Calabrese mother-in-law that included escarole, red kidney beans, potatoes and plumb tomatoes. It’s an absolutely delicious dish that I enjoy making. But this version is much simpler. The main two ingredients are escarole and beans, as simple as the title. When cooked down, the dish takes on a creamy consistency. It is full of flavor with the garlic and olive oil. It’s essential you use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Add a touch of red pepper flakes to enhance the dish with that bite. It doesn’t get much better than this. I enjoy eating it with slices of toasted Italian garlic bread.

• 1-head of escarole washed and chopped
• •1-15oz can cannellini beans
• •4-garlic cloves sliced
• •1/4-cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzle
• •1/2 -cup of water
• •1-tsp salt
• •1/4-tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Add the olive oil to a large pan. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook about two minutes on medium heat. Add the escarole, water, beans and salt. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.

Remove the cover. Continue cooking and stirring until most of the liquid is evaporated. You should have a creamy consistency. Taste for salt and remove from the heat. Drizzle some more olive oil over the dish. Let stand for 15 minutes then serve.