by Meredith Leigh, Living Web Farms and author of The Ethical Meat Handbook | Dec. 1, 2016 –
This is a supremely cozy meal, loaded with flavor. The recipe is designed to be vegetarian, but my family eats it with chunks of homemade sausage mixed in. If you have leftover stew, chill it and then run it through a food processor for a healthy white bean dip.
- 1-1/4 C dry white beans
- 1 whole onion, chopped
- 1 T. red pepper flake
- 1 T. fennel seed, toasted
- ¾ t. ground mustard
- ¾ t. dried thyme
- 1 T. rubbed sage
- 1 T. sugar
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- about a quart of vegetable stock (can sub in chicken or pork stock, of course)
- ½ lb. Brussels sprouts or other fall green, sliced into thin strips.
- 2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil
In a soup pot, warm the olive oil and then add the garlic and onion. As they become soft, add in the sugar and spices. Stir to combine well. Next, add in the beans, and stir to combine them well. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender. Towards the end of the cooking time, throw in the greens, and let them simmer until tender. Season everything with a generous amount of salt and pepper and serve warm.
Note: beans can be cooked ahead of time for a super quick stew; however, the flavors will not meld together as well as if you cook the beans with the herbs and aromatics.
You can find other recipes at Meredith’s website.
Visit Living Web Farms for more workshops like the one with Jean-Martin Fortier, complete with a meal from the farm. All workshops are archived in online videos, also accessible online.
Photo by Meredith Leigh