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Beans are having a moment, becoming the store cupboard staple for cooks in this dicey economy. Packed full of protein and fibre, they’re nutritional powerhouses that are also good for the health of our planet: compared to meat proteins, they have a much lower carbon footprint and require little water to grow.
I love the ritual of soaking dried beans overnight. There’s something miraculous about a fistful of hard stones that expand into an abundance of yielding, luscious nuggets. But canned or jarred versions are perhaps the greatest of all convenience foods. I am especially enamoured by Bold Bean Co, whose beans have a meaty heft.
This simple and fast recipe for butter beans is inspired by pasta aglio e olio, a frugal garlic and oil pasta dish that originated in southern Italy as a nutritious and affordable meal for poor families. Because the dish is so simple, it helps to use the best ingredients you can, and embolden it with some big flavours. I have added chilli and lemon zest — I personally like the rounded, sweet heat of Turkish pepper flakes like pul biber but a pinch of chilli flakes will also work. The dregs of a bottle of white wine will emulsify beautifully with the olive oil and starch from the beans to create a sauce you’ll want to swipe tufts of bread through. If you wanted, you could also add pancetta or guanciale for a salty, chewy crispness that contrasts with the creamy beans. Finish with the crisp breadcrumbs and a glug of grassy olive oil.
Butter beans aglio e olio with pangrattato
serves 2
For the pangrattato
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Put the olive oil, garlic, chilli and lemon zest in a large casserole pan and heat over a very low heat for about eight to ten minutes until fragrant and the garlic is just beginning to caramelise. Pour in the white wine, turn up the heat and bubble, stirring until reduced by half.
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Add the beans and their liquor (if using tinned beans, drain and add 100ml water) cover and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
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Meanwhile, put a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the anchovies and their oil, breaking up the anchovies with a wooden spoon to help them dissolve. Next add the breadcrumbs and cook until toasted and golden. Stir through the lemon zest and parsley and season with salt (be careful, as anchovies will already be salty) and freshly ground pepper.
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Serve the beans in bowls, sprinkled with the pangrattato breadcrumbs and an extra drizzle of oil if you like.
Ravinder Bhogal is chef-patron of Jikoni. Follow Ravinder on Instagram @cookinboots
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