Straight from the Earth

SLOW-SIMMERED BEANS with TUSCAN KALE on BULGUR

This recipe is one of my favorites. I often make a pot of slow-simmered beans to have waiting in the fridge as a snack or side dish. However, if I want to turn them into an official meal, I add sautéed kale and serve them over bulgur. Lima beans, great Northern beans, and cannellini also work well in this recipe, but try corona beans, if you can find them—they are extra large, buttery, and satisfying. Corona beans will need to soak longer, 12 to 24 hours, and they will also take about an hour longer to cook. If you prepare the beans a day or two ahead of time, this dish comes together quickly. Serve with a big salad, and this is a great meal. —MYRA

Serves 4

BEANS

2 cups/450 g dried beans, such as lima, great Northern, corona, or cannellini

6 cups/1.4 L Easy Vegetable Stock (page 76) or low-sodium vegetable broth

4 large garlic cloves, quartered

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

¹/₂ tsp dried thyme or 1¹/₂ tsp fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

BULGUR

³/₄ tsp salt

1¹/₂ cups/255 g bulgur

1 tbsp olive oil

KALE

2 tbsp olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, slivered

3 cups/90 g destemmed and sliced dino (Tuscan) kale

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

To make the beans: Rinse the beans and place them in a large bowl. Cover with 6 to 8 cups/1.4 to 2 L water, and soak them for 8 hours (or at least 12 if using corona beans) or overnight.

Drain the beans and place them in a medium saucepan. Add the stock and bring it to the start of a boil over high heat. Add the garlic, oil, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf, season with pepper, and reduce the heat to low to maintain a slow simmer. Cook, covered, until the beans are very tender, about 2 hours. Be sure to keep the beans submerged in liquid while they cook, adding boiling water as necessary. When they are done, a modest amount of flavorful stock will have formed. Remove from heat, add the salt, and discard the bay leaf.

To make the bulgur: Bring 3 cups/720 ml water and the salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the bulgur, return the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and fluff the bulgur with a fork. Drizzle the oil over the bulgur and blend with a fork.

While the bulgur is cooking, prepare the kale: Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and kale. Cook, covered, stirring frequently, until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper.

Add the kale to the saucepan with the beans and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the beans are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve over the hot bulgur.