Baked Fresh Cranberry Beans and Escarole

Plump and shiny beans star in a main course perfumed with Provence. The bittersweet escarole softens and melts, thickening the broth and adding depth. Serve as a Sunday supper, with a platter of olives, fennel strips, radishes, and goat cheese. Although cranberry beans’ sweet starchiness makes a fine foil for the dark greens, other shelling beans or southernpeas can be substituted for a different effect.