I grow rosemary in a little ceramic pot on my deck, and, as the days of summers stretch on into weeks, the rosemary grows with unruly passion before opening up into little blue-purple flowers. As it grows, I use the rosemary generously - tossing it into marinades, sprinkling it over vegetables, or infusing it into oils and vinegars. I like it here most of all, combined with cannellini beans, lemon, and smoked paprika for a deceptively humble dish of baked beans that tastes at once rich and smoky, as well as vibrant and herbaceous.

Recipe from The Nourished Kitchen, By Jennifer McGruther

Serves: About 6

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cannellini beans

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons lard

  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced into paper-thin rounds

  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 1 preserved lemon (seeded and chopped)

  • 3 cups chicken bone broth

  • 1 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt

  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, plus more for sprinkling

  • 2 sprigs rosemary

  • 2 bay leaves

Directions

  1. Toss the beans into a large mixing bowl, pour in enough water to cover them by 2 inches, and stir in the baking soda. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the beans soak at room temperature for at least 18 and up to 24 hours.

  2. Drain the beans and rinse them well.

  3. Put the soaked beans in a large stockpot and pour in enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover the pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain the beans and pour them into a 5-quart Dutch oven or covered casserole dish.

  4. Preheat the oven to 325F

  5. Warm the olive oil and lard in a skillet over medium heat. When the lard melts, stir in the onion and garlic and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until deeply fragrant and beginning to brown. Pour this mixture into the beans, then stir in the chopped preserved lemon. Stir in the broth, salt, and paprika, then tuck the rosemary and bay leaves into the beans. Cover and bake for 6 hours.

  6. Pluck out the rosemary and bay leaves with a fork and serve hot, sprinkled with smoked paprika.

Connect with us!