Best Creamy White Bean And Seaweed Stew With Parmesan Recipes

CREAMY WHITE BEAN AND SEAWEED STEW WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt and sauté until softened and lightly golden at the edges, 7 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, diced fennel and garlic and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Drain soaked beans and add to pot along with 2 quarts cold water, kombu, thyme sprigs and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Lower heat, partially cover the pot and simmer gently until the beans are done, 1 to 2 hours. If the beans start to dry out before they are cooked, add a little hot water to the pot, or if they seem too soupy, remove the lid during the last half-hour.
• When beans are cooked, discard kombu and thyme sprigs. If you have an immersion blender, stick it in the pot and give it two or three pulses to create a creamy broth. Most of the beans should still be whole. Or, scoop out 1 cup of beans, purée them in a food processor or blender, and stir them back into the pot.
• Stir kelp into the pot and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
• If you have fennel fronds, chop enough to make 2 tablespoons and stir into the pot. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top generously with Parmesan, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with toast.

CREAMY BRAISED WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, cut side down, and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the milk, chickpeas and their liquid, white beans, thyme and nutmeg and stir to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper. When the mixture begins to bubble around the edges of the pan (you don't want it to come to a full boil), reduce the heat to low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and tastes great to you, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Use a fork to remove the garlic halves from the beans. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then use the fork to remove the cloves from the skins. Spread the cloves on bread or toast.
• If you would like the beans to be more stew-like, mash some of the beans using a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Serve beans and milk in bowls. Garnish as you wish, with a drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a pinch of Aleppo pepper and black pepper. Serve with the bread alongside for dipping.

SLOW-COOKER WHITE BEAN PARMESAN SOUP

Steps:

• Put the soaked, drained beans in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker, and season them generously with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan rinds and the wheat berries.
• Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the fennel. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the fennel is softened and the onion is lightly browned, about 5 more minutes. Add the celery and garlic, and cook, stirring, until just softened, about 1 minute. Add the fennel seeds and red pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until combined and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rosemary and the wine and let the wine bubble until the pan is almost dry, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape the mixture from the skillet into the slow cooker. Add the stock, and season it: Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, if you are using low-sodium broth, or 1 teaspoon salt, if using homemade unsalted stock. (Do not add salt now if you are using fully salted broth.) Stir to combine, and cook on low until the wheat berries are tender and the beans are creamy, about 8 to 10 hours. (Taste the beans to make sure they are creamy; they can vary in their cooking time depending on their age.) The soup can hold well on warm for 1 to 2 additional hours.
• Before serving, remove and discard the rosemary sprigs. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and reserved fennel fronds. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve in bowls topped generously with grated Parmesan.

PARMESAN WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH HEARTY GREENS

Steps:

• To make the Parmesan broth: In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add the garlic, cut-sides down, and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Parmesan rinds, lemon rinds, thyme and 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the broth tastes full and rich and is reduced by half, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (You will have about 4 cups of broth.) Reserve half the garlic and half the lemon rinds, then strain the broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Once cool, the broth will keep for 1 week refrigerated or 3 months in the freezer. If freezing, leave a bit of space between the broth and the lid of the container, as the broth will expand.)
• To make the soup: Squeeze the garlic cloves to release them from the reserved head. Finely chop the reserved lemon rind. In a large pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the garlic cloves and the red-pepper flakes and cook, breaking up the garlic with your spoon, just until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium, add the greens and 1/4 teaspoon of the chopped lemon rind and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the beans and all of the Parmesan broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the greens are silky and the beans and broth are warmed through, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and taste. Stir in lemon juice and additional lemon rind to taste. (You will not use all the lemon.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with black pepper and grated Parmesan on top.

CREAMY WHITE BEANS WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• Make the oil: In a food processor, combine chives, cilantro and basil, and pulse until finely chopped. Add olive oil, and pulse again until mixture is silky and emulsified. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in lemon juice and salt to taste. Set aside.
• Prepare the beans: In a 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add beans to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 2 to 3 minutes. With the back of a spoon or spatula, smash about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the beans and stir until they are incorporated into the rest of the bean mixture. A good portion of the remaining beans should maintain their structure.
• Add stock or water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until sauce becomes creamy and is reduced by about about half, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Smash additional beans and add a few more tablespoons of water, if needed, to reach desired consistency and stir again to combined.
• Transfer beans to a bowl and swirl with herb oil on top. Season with flaky salt, if desired.