Serving beans on toast is a meal! This simple This nifty recipe combines white beans with garlic, broccoli, and Parmesan cheese.
Beans on toast. Sounds modest, but if you try it, you will be surprised. The recipe is from the new cookbook Fresh broad beans by our pal Joe Yonan at the Washington Post, a book that sounds as cool as it sounds. The condition: Beans are one of the most economical, delicious, and environmentally friendly foods out there. And we should all eat more of it. Of course it will be hearty Amen! from Alex and me. We have long believed in eating all the beans. Eating these silky, hearty white beans on toast makes a hearty vegetarian dish topped with aged Parmesan cheese: it’s a revelation.
Why eat more beans
Why do beans have a bad reputation here in the US? They are definitely not considered glamorous food. Hardly anyone answers: “What food did you eat for your birthday?” with “a pot of beans” or “beans on toast”. Author Joe says in the book that it could be because of that Around the world, beans have almost always been associated with poverty.
But there are plenty of reasons to change your mind about beans here in the United States. In fact, so many cultures around the world celebrate them with great food (falafel! hummus! bean curd! lentil stew!). Here’s why you should eat more beans Fresh broad beans:
- They are the cheapest source of protein in the world. It is the only food classified by the USDA as both a protein and a vegetable.
- They can help you live longerThe list of beans’ health benefits goes on and on: They’re nutrient dense, packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants and healthy fiber. Can you guess what the Blue Zone countries have in common, where people live the longest in the world? They all eat 1 cup of beans a day.
- You respect the planet. Beans could be indispensable for feeding the world’s growing population: they pollute the climate less than animal protein.
How to cook dried kidney beans… with more flavor than ever!
Have you ever cooked dried beans? Alex and I often stick to canned beans for convenience (sorry, Joe!), but when we have the time, cooking a dried bean casserole leads to one transcendentally more delicious end product. Especially if you’re adding flavors to the pot while cooking! Now that we have an Instant Pot, we love making beans in the IP because it’s so quick (check out our Instant Pot Black Beans, Chickpeas, Refried Beans, and Pinto Beans).
All recipes from Fresh broad beans Use dried beans: Of course, you can substitute canned beans in a pinch. But why not use that as a challenge? Take the opportunity to take 1 hour and make beans The right way. To prepare the kidney beans for this beans on toast recipe:
- Soak your beans overnight (or 4 hours)! Soaking the beans will help them cook faster and more evenly. You can get away with 4 hours if you forget this the night before.
- Add Flavors! Here’s the key to the best flavor: Add some simple flavors to the pot of beans. Here you add 1 onion studded with whole cloves, 2 carrots, bay leaves and (here’s the kicker): a kombu leaf! Kombu is a dried seaweed that is often used in Japanese cuisine. It is 100% worth seeking out for the flavor nuances it imparts! You have to try this.
- Simmer in the water for 1 hour. Just 1 hour will make them perfectly tender.
Beans on toast: simple and sophisticated
The name of this recipe in the Fresh broad beans Cookbook is this:Garlic Great Northern Beans and Broccoli Rabe on Toasted Bread.” (Imagination.) We shortened it to “beans on toast” to be a bit more internet-friendly… and because beans on toast are a thing! It’s a British dish consisting essentially of baked beans served on toast. This version, however: is like beans on toast with a glamorous makeover. Here are some service tips:
- Cook the beans with the broccoli Rabe. The Broccoli Rabe is a green with a rather bitter taste: but it works well with the salty beans here. If you can’t find it in stores, try broccolini (our favorite!), broccoli, or Tuscan kale, which have a sweeter flavor.
- For the toast, use an artisanal bread. Not any stale bread will do. Find an artisanal bread (or try our sourdough bread, casserole bread or artisanal bread).
- Pour the broth and beans over the toast. Looks like there’s a lot of broth: but that’s what’s expected! First add the beans, then the broth. It turns toasted bread into a chewy, delicious texture.
- Top with aged Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano). Wow, how lovely is this with aged Parmesan or Pecorino Romano and a drizzle of olive oil! (If you are completely vegan, please weigh whether you know a good vegan parm.)
About the book: Cool Beans
Fresh broad beans It’s about demystifying the humble bean: because it could hold the key to the future of nutrition! It contains 125 amazing, flavorful recipes and ideas for consuming the world’s most versatile plant-based protein. Alex and I heartily give her 2 thumbs up!
Alex and I know author Joe Yonan well With Gluttony: Powered by plants, our project with Washington Post Food. Joe is the Food and Dining Editor at The Washington Post and was fantastic to work with. We’ve always been impressed by Joe’s work, but he really outdid himself with this book! It’s an amazing resource that we will keep coming back to. Hats off, Joe!
You understand: Cool Beans by Joe Yonan
This recipe for white beans on toast is…
Vegetarian. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free dishes, use vegan parmesan or top it with another savory item like capers.
The description
Serving beans on toast is a meal! This simple and sophisticated recipe combines white beans with garlic, broccoli and parmesan cheese.
- 2 cups dried Great Northern Beans (can substitute kidney beans, cannellini or other kidney beans)
- beans), soaked overnight and drained*
- Water
- 1 Peeled onion and studded with 12 whole cloves
- 2 big carrots
- 1 (3 x 5 inches) strips of kombu (dried seaweed)
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (or substitute 3 at 4 broccolini or broccoli florets or coarsely chopped Tuscan cabbage)
- 6 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 thick slices of rustic sourdough bread, lightly toasted
- 1 tbsp chili oil (optional)
- ¼ cup vegan or traditional parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
- Make sure to soak your beans overnight (or at least 4 hours) covered in room temperature water.
- In a large saucepan with enough water, combine beans to cover 2 inches. Add the onion, carrots, kombu, and bay leaves, reduce the heat to medium-high and bring the beans to a boil. Then cook for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat so the beans are simmering, uncovered, cover and cook until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can cook the beans, water, and flavorful veggies in a stovetop or electric pressure cooker: bring to high pressure and cook for 17 minutes if using a stovetop model, or 20 minutes for an electric model .Release pressure naturally.then open.)
- Discard the onion, carrots, kombu, and bay leaves and drain the beans, reserving all of the cooking liquid.
- In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in the broccoli Rabe and sauté for about 8 minutes until very soft. Stir in the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in drained beans, 1 1/2 cups reserved cooking liquid, and salt. Cook until beans are hot and flavors have mingled, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in pepper, taste and add more salt if needed. (Here we added about ¾ teaspoon of additional salt until the flavor is prominent.)
- Divide the toasted bread among shallow serving bowls. Drizzle with chili oil, if desired, and pour the bean mixture and broth over the toast (use the broth as a sauce to flavor the toast). Finish with parmesan and serve hot.
Remarks
*This recipe tastes best with dried beans. However, if you want to use cans, use 3 cans of Great Northern Beans or other kidney beans with reserved canned liquid and start with step 3. Use canned liquid filled with water in step 4 to make the “reserved” 1 ½ cups. cooking liquid.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: vegetarian
- Diet: vegetarian
