Ingredients

1 c dried scarlet runner beans
-soaked a; nd drained *
1 lg whole onion(s)
2 md carrots, coarsely chopped
1 md stalk celery with leaves
-coarsely c; hopped
4 1/2 c warm water
3 lg sprigs flat-leaf parsley
3 sprigs thyme
1 lg bay leaf
1 salt to taste
6 oz fusilli or penne pasta *
2 tb olive oil
2 to 3 garlic clove(s) finely
-minced
1/2 c flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 pepper to taste
1 butter to grease baking dish
3 tb butter
3 anchovies, rinsed dried on
-paper to; wels
2 c fresh bread crumbs

Instructions

To a 3-qt. non-stick saucepan, add the drained beans, onion, carrots,
celery and water. Tie the parsley, thyme and bay leaf together with
string and add to the pot. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat
and simmer for 1 hours, adding additional boiling water as needed to
keep beans covered; add salt in last 5 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta
until al dente. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet
and saut the garlic without browning it over medium-low heat,
stirring for 1-2 minutes. Stir in half the parsley. When the pasta is
cooked, drain and add it to the skillet, stirring it in. Season with
pepper and set aside.

When the beans are tender, lift out and discard onion and herb
bouquet; add salt to taste. Drain and reserve bean liquid. Stir beans
into the skillet with the pasta. Butter a 2 1/2-qt. shallow baking
dish and transfer the mixture to the dish. Stir in 2/3 cup of the
reserved bean liquid to moisten, then wipe out the skillet. Return
the skillet to the stove and melt the 3 tbs butter over low heat.
Stir in the anchovies and crush them while stirring with a wooden
spoon. Add the remaining parsley and stir into the mixture in the
baking dish. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the baking
dish. Put the bread crumbs in a covered bowl and refrigerate them too.

When ready to serve, remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and
return it to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400F. Sprinkle the
surface of the baking dish with the bread crumbs and bake, uncovered,
until the top is brown, about 15 minutes. Serve at once.

Note: You can substitute large lima beans for the scarlet runner beans
(they will take a little less time to cook). Since lima beans are a
different color than scarlet runner beans, substitute spinach pasta
for the fusilli or penne in order to get a color contrast.