Tuscan White Beans (With Sage Amount Correction)

Modified from "The New Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas. These beans are very versatile. They can be: frozen pureed for soup served warm or room temp. as an appetizer put on a salad (arugula + balsamic + beans + black pepper = yummmmm) added to a pasta dish (maybe with some roasted red pepper?) used in place of canned white beans in many recipes If garlic cloves have any sign of green sprouts, slice in half and remove the sprout. Put beans, garlic, sage in pot. Add water to cover by about an inch. Bring to a boil. Add kombu. Cover pot. Lower heat to small light Stir gently only a few times while cooking. If you stir too much you will end up with mush. Let cook until beans start to get soft. This could take a few hours. Add water if it all cooks away. When beans are a bit soft, add the salt and let cook till beans are soft but still holding their shape. All parts are edible but you may want to remove the sage leaves if you are going to puree the beans for a soup. You can add new leaves which will look a bit nicer. Posted to fatfree digest by Jayne Spielman <jayne@bridge.com> on Apr 7, 1998