Pasquetta, Sutri, Charlemagne's Beans and a Recipe

copyright 2013, Art of Living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati

Pasquetta is my favorite Holiday..it is  the day after Easter and  a relaxing Holiday..no obligatory sit down meals…no need to spend time looking for greeting cards or gifts..or preparing for large feasts..
If I had to make up my own Holiday this would be it, for it is truly a Holiday, one where you can relax and take a drive with no plan to follow. Just  pack some impromptu sandwiches and have a picnic in the mountains or  drive to where the road takes you… a relaxing Holiday for one day..no one is slighted because there is nothing to give or take or make…
This Pasquetta was a day of exploring the Roman countryside…with a visit to a little town, once inhabited by the Etruscans and Charlemagne- the ancient  town of  Sutri..founded thousands of years before Rome and named after Saturn, the father of the Gods.

My favorite part of the visit was sampling local beans of Sutri, rumored to have given Charlemagne his strength for conquering..I also had fun  creating some  recipes with this ancient food…
A stop at Charlemagne’s castle (what is left of it) though before eating and cooking was a must…

 
Borlotti al Vino (speckled beans with wine)
This is one of the simplest recipes, and only has a few ingredients.If you don’t have access to the speckled beans of Sutri substitute speckled beans or Borlotti beans.
2 cups of speckled (Borlotti) beans that have been soaked in water overnight
1 cup dry, red wine
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley
1 tsp freshly chopped basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Place beans in a large pan with wine, 2 cups cold water and cook for one hour or til tender. Place olive oil in saute pan and heat, place in beans and chopped parsley and basil, add salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 10 minutes, remove from heat.
See you at  (for more info on nay of these events email events@marialiberati.com):
April 27-28– Great Grapes Festival in Reston, Virginia
May 17th-Taste of the World Festival at the Pearl S.Buck Foundation in Perkasie Pennsylvania
June 1,2– Great Grapes Festival in Hunt Valley, Maryland
Get your copy of the Gourmand World Award Winning Book The Basic  Art of Italian Cooking : Holidays & Special Occasions- 2nd edition