Tuscan bean stew with kale
Sadly, I always find a stew a bit unappetising. And then I make one and it’s delicious and I think I should eat them more often. We served this bean stew at our last volunteering session at the farm. And even if I do say so myself, it was scrumptious. Other than the beans, it was entirely grown here at the farm and harvested that day. It doesn’t get fresher or better than that.
I served it with sour dough, cheese and chutneys and cucumber and tomato salads.
serves 4 (or 2 hungry people)
For the parlsey and lemon crumb (optional!)
a handful of breadcrumbs
olive oil
zest of 1/4 lemon
small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
For the stew
glug of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
bunch of carrots, finely chopped
bunch of celery (or soup celery), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
sprig of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 pint (~500ml) of vegetable stock (or homemade chicken stock - anything you have)
1 large jar of cooked butter beans (or any other cooked beans - I use Bold Bean Co butter beans. They are so tasty)
a few kale leaves, stems removed (and discarded) and leaves roughly chopped
First, make the “crumb”. Put the breadcrumbs in a baking tray, with a good drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper.
Bake the breadcrumbs in a low oven for around 15 minutes, so they are brown and nicely crispy.
Once they are cool, add lemon zest, chopped parlsey and more seasoning if required.
Then make the stew. Add the olive oil to a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and a little salt, and cook over a low heat with the lid on for 5 - 15 minutes. Stir regularly. (I just add things to the pan gradually as I chop them)
Once the veg is nicely soft, add the chopped rosemary and stir.
Add the stock and the cooked beans. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Simmer over a medium heat for a few minutes.
Add the chopped kale leaves and cook for a further few minutes until the kale is soft.
Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and lemon crumb, and large slices of bread and butter.