Fagioli con le Cotiche

servings as main dish

An Italian rich stew made of beans and pork skins simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce. Perfect to serve as a main dish with crusty bread.

prep 10

cook 1 40

total 1 50

PRINT PIN

▢ 8 cups canned borlotti beans (drained)
▢ 2 pounds pork rinds (cleaned and cut into 2-inch squares)
▢ 5 cups tomato sauce
▢ 1 ½ cups soffritto (made from carrot, onion, celery, and garlic finely chopped)
▢ 3 ½ cups beans cooking water (or pork stock, or just water)
▢ 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ salt and pepper (to taste)

Boil the pork rinds in salted water for 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large stew pot heat the extra virgin olive oil and sauté the soffritto vegetables for 3 minutes over medium-high heat.
Mix in the pork rinds and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Pour in the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes the pour enough water to cover the ingredients by 1 inch.
Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time.
Add the beans along with the beans cooking water. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until the stew thickens to your liking.
Adjust seasonings to taste and turn off the heat. Serve immediately or store and reheat later.

Use a large stock pot to make this recipe, it will be easiest to stir.
I like my stew to have a soupy texture, so I make sure to use lots of liquid to make it. If you want a thicker texture, just reduce slightly the liquids (water and beans cooking water).
If you want to make a richer stew, you can also add some pork short ribs to the mix, this is a popular variation in Italy.