Brothy beans with Swiss chard, sage, garlic and freshly toasted croutons
Beans and greens always make a satisfying meal. This recipe is well served by the herbs and the garlic, which are still going strong at this time of year. If you can find fresh borlotti or cannellini beans at your local market, grab them.
This recipe is an extract from the November issue of House & Garden. Subscribe or download now to read the full stories.
If you like this, why not explore our other recipes that use Beans, Grains & Pulses?
Brothy beans with Swiss chard, sage, garlic and freshly toasted croutons
Yield
6
Ingredients
Step 1
Soak the dried borlotti or cannellini beans overnight (if you are using fresh, there is no need to soak them). Drain the water and place the beans in a pan, adding enough fresh water to cover them by about 3cm. Turn the heat to medium and bring the beans up to a gentle simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Add the 4 smashed garlic cloves and 3tbsp of the extra-virgin olive oil.
Step 2
Cook the beans for about 1 hour, until they are tender, adding water as necessary so that they remain sufficiently covered.
Step 3
Turn off the heat and season with salt. Let the beans sit in their cooking liquid for 1 hour or more before serving. (They can be made a day or two ahead of time, if you like.)
Step 4
Meanwhile, cut the crust off the sourdough bread and tear into irregular 3cm pieces. Toss with some olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Step 5
Heat a pan on high and add the pieces of bread. Reduce the heat to medium and let the bread toast, stirring, until it is golden on all sides. Remove from the heat and pound the bread to break it down just a little, so that the pieces are the right size for serving, depending on vour preference for croutons.
Step 6
Heat a large pan with 2tbsp of the olive oil, add the Swiss chard and cook until just wilted. Ladle the cooked beans and their liquid into the pan with the chard. Simmer just long enough to rewarm the beans.
Step 7
Heat a separate pan with the remaining 4tbsp olive oil and add the sliced garlic. Sizzle until golden, then add the sage leaves and cook until the leaves start to fry. Pour the garlic, sage and oil over the beans and chard, but do not stir in - keep the leaves on top.
Step 8
To serve, ladle into individual bowls and garnish with the freshly toasted croutons.
