Lampascioni and White Bean Antipasto
Jarred Italian hyacinth bulbs, canned beans, and oil. A car-camping antipasto that needs no stove.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 57
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Snack
- No cook
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Jarred lampascioni sott'olio | 1 small jar, about 6 oz drained | sold by Italian grocers, already boiled and cured |
|---|---|---|
| Canned white beans | 1 can (15 oz) | cannellini or great northern |
| Cured black olives | 1/3 cup | pitted, drained |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp | plus whatever oil comes off the bulbs |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Red wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | or two restaurant packets |
| Salt and cracked pepper | to taste | |
| Chili flakes | 1/4 tsp | optional |
Method
- Drain the beans and rinse them if you have spare water. If you don't, drain hard and shake the can out.
- Tip the beans into a bowl or the empty bean can. Add the olives.
- Add the lampascioni whole, along with a spoonful of the oil from the jar.
- Pour over the olive oil and vinegar. Add oregano, chili, salt, and pepper.
- Stir gently so the bulbs stay in one piece. Let it sit ten minutes before eating; the beans take on the oil in that time.
Lampascioni are the bulbs of wild hyacinth, dug in southern Italy before the plants flower. Raw they are bitter and not safe to eat: the bitterness comes from saponin-type compounds that boiling pulls out. Traditional practice is to boil them, then cure them in olive oil with salt and herbs and serve them as antipasto. Buy them that way. Cured bulbs in a jar are a pantry item; raw bulbs from a garden center are not food and may carry pesticide.
Everything else here is a shelf-stable carrier for them. Canned beans give the plate bulk and protein, the olives push the salt up, and the oil does the same job it does in the jar. There is no cooking step, so this works at a picnic table, in a boat, or at any camp where you can open two containers and stir.
Packing
The jar and the can are the heaviest things in the kit, which is why this is a car or boat meal. Pack the oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small bottle set so you are not hunting for three lids on a picnic table.
Variations
- A tin of oil-packed tuna turns it into a full dinner and adds about 25 g of protein.
- Swap the beans for chickpeas and add a spoonful of tomato paste for a heavier version.
- Spoon it onto crackers or flatbread if you don't need it gluten-free.
https://foragerchef.com/lampascioni-cooking-and-eating-hyacinth-bulbs