Hearty White Bean and Winter Greens Stew

During this past weekend, when Portland was covered in a layer of fresh snow, I made this for dinner. It was everything we were looking for; healthy, warm, hearty, and delicious! After we ate I did some quick math and realized that to total cost of the dish was about $6. We ended up freezing about half of what it made to keep as a quick dinner in the future. I will definitely be keeping this recipe at hand to make in the future.


White Bean and Winter Greens Stew (Makes 6 large servings)
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large onion, julienned
3 celery stalks, small diced
1 lb. white beans
1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into bit sized pieces
1 bunch spinach, torn into bite sized pieces
balsamic vinegar, to taste
Salt, to taste

To prepare the beans: there are two methods "the over night method" which has you soak the beans in water overnight; and the "boiling method" which has you put the beans in a pot with water (make sure there is more water than beans) and bring it to a boil, turn your heat off, and let the beans soak in the water for about an hour. Either way works, mainly it just depends on how far ahead you plan before your meals.

Once your beans have soaked, add the oil to a clean, large soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic, sauté for ~30 seconds (until you can smell the garlic cooking), and add the onion. Sauté until the onion starts to turn a golden brown color, add the crushed red pepper and a dash of salt, and stir briefly. Now add the beans. Fill the pot with water until the water level is 2 inches higher than the beans. Bring the water to a simmer and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. At this point taste the beans, if they are still crunch and there isn't very much excess water add some more and cook another 30 minutes. Keep this up until the beans are soft.

Twenty minutes before serving reheat the beans (if they have cooled) and add in the kale and spinach. Cook these until soft and tender. Taste, season with salt and balsamic (if desired). Serve in bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and black pepper.

You could also serve this with some warm bread.

Enjoy!
xxC

*this recipe was adapted from the February issue of bon appétit magazine