Basically white beans braised in tomato sauce, then topped with mozzarella and parmesan before going into the oven. Very important to cook the beans properly to avoid gaseous after-effects (see below).
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large or 2 regular carrots, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white or red wine (optional)
200 grams spinach (I've also used rainbow chard before, about 6 to 7 pieces, cutting the leaves into ribbons and dicing the stalks to replace the celery)
550 grams canned tomatoes
455 grams cooked firm-tender white beans
225 grams mozzarella, shredded
1/3 cup (35 grams) Parmesan
Parsley, for garnish (optional)
Heat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius. In an ideally oven-safe deep pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the onion, celery and carrots.
Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing, until the vegetables brown lightly, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine, if using, to scrape up any stuck bits, then simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the kale, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
Add the beans, and, if the mixture looks too dry or thick (canned tomatoes range quite a bit in juiciness), add up to 3/4 cup of water or stock, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer the mixture together over medium for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
To bake, sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top. Finish with parsley, if desired.
You can freeze half (without the cheese toppings) in a smaller baking dish. We had leftovers with sausage the next day.
Notes:
To prepare the dried beans, measure them by cup. 400 grams of dried beans (about 2 cups) yielded slightly less than 1 kilogram after cooking.
Rinse and add to a large pot. For every cup of beans, add 4 cups of water. Cover and let sit for 8 to 24 hours.
Strain into a colander and rinse well with cold water.
Return the beans to the pot and add 5 cups of water for every cup of beans. Bring the water to just a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover and let the beans sit for 2 to 8 hours.
Strain and rinse well, then add enough water so that the water line is about 5 centimetres above the beans.
Simmer for about 1 hour on low. Check periodically that there is enough water and check for doneness.
Drain and cool before storing.
Recipes adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Don’t Waste The Crumbs.