Borlotti/Cranberry/October/Roman Beans

As dry beans they have a distinct look: pink or beige with purple/burgundy striations. When cooked they lose these distinctive striations, and take on a cooked brown pinto bean look. They also have the flavor of pinto beans.

NOTE [05/14/25]: I was just looking through my various “beans, beans, beans” articles and happened to notice for the first time that the October Beans I had bought at the State Farmers Market in Asheville several years ago, looked much like the Borlotti/Cranberry/Roman Beans I had tried some time later. It was an episode of one of the Jamie Oliver cooking shows where he cooked the Borlotti Beans and I decided to try them. I had been oblivious to theses beans until that point.

I enjoyed the flavor of these beans in a recipe which paired them with Red Chard. I think I bought a bag of the dry Cranberry Beans at IGA (or at least I recall seeing a bag of them there). I later saw cans of Roman Beans at Walmart.

Yes. When I just googled, October Beans are synonymous with the same bean, named otherwise. A bean by any other name would smell as sweet… Borlotti, Cranberry, October or Roman Bean. [end NOTE]

Borlotti Beans & Chard

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

For the Borlotti Beans

2 cups borlotti beans (dried) OR 2 x 12oz/400g canned
½ onion
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black peppercorns

Other Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion (finely diced)
1 bunch chard
2 garlic cloves (peeled & finely chopped)
3 sprigs sage (about 10-12 leaves)(left whole)
1 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
S&P
Parmigiano reggiano (or pecorino, finely grated) (optional)

Instructions

Cooking the Borlotti Beans (skip this stage if using canned beans)

Instant Pot Method

Put the borlotti beans, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns into the Instant pot and cover with about 1.5 litres/qt of water.
Cook under pressure for 35 minutes then test for doneness. The beans should be soft and creamy. Cook in 5 minute bursts until done.

Stove-top method

Put the borlotti beans, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns into a large pan and cover with about 1.5 litres/qt of water.Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently (partially covered) for about 1 1/2 hours on a slow simmer until the borlotti beans are soft and creamy.
Drain the beans and discard the water, onion and bay leaf and set aside.

Making the dish

If you’re using canned beans, drain well and set aside.
Strip the leaves from the chard and roughly chop. Finely dice the stems and set aside.
Fry the onion, chard stems and sage leaves gently in the olive oil for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and golden.
Add the garlic and fry briefly before adding the chard leaves. Let these sauté for 3-4 minutes until they’re wilted before returning the borlotti beans to the pan along with the stock.
Stir well to incorporate everything and let it sizzle for 3-4 minutes until all the stock has been absorbed. Remove from the heat.
Season with salt & pepper and fish out the sage leaves and discard.
Serve hot or at room temperature with a generous dusting of cheese (if using) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Notes

Change up the beans

In Italy, you can also make this dish with white beans or cannellini beans. But honestly, any bean will do.

Add a little meat

For a meaty version, you could fry some pancetta, or Italian sausage with the onion and chard.

Change up the greens

I make this dish mostly with chard, but it’ll work equally well with cavolo nero cabbage, kale or collard greens too.

Storage

Fridge: Keep in an airtight container for up to a week and eat either at room temperature or warm.
Freezer: The beans will be good for 3+ months in an airtight container or freezer bag. I like to freeze them in portion sizes. That way, if I’m looking for an easy side dish, I can whip this out of the freezer, minus effort and fuss.

Nutrition

I first saw the above Emile Henry Flame Top 2-2/3-Quart Round Oven, Red on an episode of a Jacques Pepin cooking show. He was talking about how at the end of the day, for professional chefs in the city, they would congregate somewhere and enjoy a group meal. He showed one of these, prepared in a beautiful red pot, and he added whole, uncooked eggs, on top the finish the soup. My attention was riveted upon the red pot and later I googled and found the episode’s YouTube video. Somewhere in all of that I found that the pot was made by the Emil Henry Company (French, I think.) and I ended up buying one.

I fixed some French Onion Soup in it once, and then didn’t use it for about 9 years. Yes, that’s years. The company touted that you could use this pot on the stove top or in the oven. I feel uncomfortable with putting a ceramic pot on the stove top, but as I recall, it didn’t break.

I finally gave Jacquelyn Sharpe this red pot. It’s probably too small for someone that is cooking for five.

Bill Gibson, II

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Borlotti/Cranberry/October/Roman Beans