Fresh Shell Bean Soup with Slivers of Italian Bacon
In summer, fresh shell beans make their glorious appearance at the local farmer’s markets all over the Campania region. My favorite are the pretty, pink-and-cream mottled barlotti beans, also known as cranberry beans, but other varieties, such as cannellini beans, are scrumptious summer finds as well.
Unlike dried beans, fresh, plump shell beans are quick and easy to make and they don’t have to be soaked overnight to soften them up before you begin the cooking —due to their youth and already soft skins.
Whenever I buy fresh shell beans I anticipate the simple pleasure of spending a little time in a pretty setting al fresco in the garden, where the removing of the beans from their pods before I begin the cooking has now become a peaceful, meditative task.
