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Last night’s dinner: White Beans and Wilted Greens Stew

Bon Appetit white bean and greens stew

This white bean and wilted greens stew is a good solution for the wintertime blues.

I have stew on the brain, and what with this endless winter we seem to be having here in the northeastern United States, I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’m even seriously considering getting a slow cooker and becoming one of those smug home cooks who just throws a few things into the pot on my way to work (singing all the while, I’m sure) and then returning with wine bottle in hand, when day is done, to some kind of slow-cooked masterpiece.

But I have yet to take the plunge. Plus I work from home.

Instead, I cook stew the regular-people way. And while I love myself some hearty beef stew on a cold winter’s night, I also have been trying to lighten up on the red meat consumption. Which is why this white bean stew from Bon Appétit seemed so appealing. Plus it so happens that I have an excess of white lima beans (also known as butter beans) from an over exuberant shopping spree at the health food store a few months back.

Now dried beans do require overnight soaking, but if you put them in water the minute you wake up (6 am, in my case) they are good to go by around 1 or 2, so you could easily be eating dinner at 7 pm. I actually soaked the beans all day, cooked the stew in the background during the evening while we ate something else, stuck it in the fridge before bed and let it get all nice and flavorful and ready to eat the following evening.

I also skipped the dried chilli flakes, in deference to my daughter, who can’t deal with pepper of any kind. But I did include the anchovies which I think really deepen the flavor without you even being aware of them once the stew is finished. The recipe also claims that the Parmesan rind is optional, and maybe it is, but boy will you be missing out if you skip it.

Click below to see the whole recipe, and be sure you make enough for leftovers as it makes a most satisfying snowy day lunch as well…

Spicy White Bean and Wilted Greens Stew
by Allison Roman for Bon Appétit

Ingredients

¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained (optional)
4 chiles de árbol or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Parmesan rind (optional), plus shaved Parmesan for serving
1 pound dried white beans or chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained
1 bunch kale or mustard greens, ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 bunch large flat-leaf spinach, trimmed, coarsely chopped
4 cups trimmed arugula or watercress, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Heat ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook anchovies, if using, chiles, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until garlic is soft and anchovies are dissolved, about 4 minutes. Add onion, celery, and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, 8–10 minutes.

Add Parmesan rind, if using, beans, and 10 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until beans are beginning to fall apart, 3–4 hours.

Lightly crush some beans to give stew a creamy consistency. Mix in kale, spinach, and half of arugula; season with salt and pepper. Cook until greens are wilted, 5–8 minutes.

Toss remaining arugula with lemon juice and 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Divide stew among bowls; top with arugula, shaved Parmesan, and a drizzle of oil.

(Stew can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.)

For the original recipe, check out Bon Appétit.

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