Adventures

Mar 12, 2013

Project 292-291:White Beans with Mushrooms and Sage


This is a hearty, flavorful dish. It will make your house smell wonderful. It will make you happy when you eat it. Healthy comfort food - yes, it does exist.

1 cup dried white beans* or 2-3 cups cooked white beans
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 large onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced
2 tbsp fresh sage, minced, sliced, chopped, however you like it
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp celery leaves (with a bit of celery too), diced
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
Heat your oil over medium-high heat in your largest, non-stick skillet. Once hot, add the onions, mushrooms and garlic. Hear that sizzle? Get a bit of color on the veggies right away. Color = flavor. After a few minutes lower the heat and continue to cook until the veggies have browned. As you saute, moisture will escape from the mushrooms but don't get nervous; continue to cook until the moisture evaporates. Then the color will begin to show.

Speaking of flavor, I seasoned these veggies on the heavy side with salt and pepper because beans are greedy and will soak up a good deal of any spices you add.

Once the veggies have a nice brown color, add all of the freshly chopped herbs and toss to combine. Cook another few minutes to incorporate the flavor of the herbs. Lastly, add the cooked beans and combine. Cook until the beans come up to temperature. Re-season if necessary and serve immediately. Served with a salad it's a whole vegetarian meal and very filling. This is also great the next day served chilled or at room temperature so it's great for a picnic.
* I soaked my beans over night. Before cooking, I rinsed the beans then used enough fresh water to cover by at least an inch. I brought the water to a boil then reduced and simmered until the beans were soft but still had a slight bit of tooth. Expect between an hour and an hour and a half for this. Much depends on the age of the beans. That's why I just test them after an hour and work from there. Once cooked you can use them however you choose. In this case, they went right into the vegetable saute.

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails