Tuscan White Beans & Kale
A dish for the serious lover of kale.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) dry white beans, pre-soaked (see note below) cannellini and navy beans both work
- 6 cups of water
- 1 yellow onion peeled but left whole
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 500 gram (1 lb) palm leaf kale
Instructions
- Drain the pre-soaked beans and combine them with the water in a large pot.
- Stick the whole cloves into the onion and throw it into the pot with the beans along with the thyme and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the type and the age of the beans. Skim off any foam that rises to the top during the cooking process.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the sliced garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the garlic is soft and has taken on a bit of color, but be careful not to burn it or it will go bitter. Remove from heat and mash with a fork.
- When the beans are done remove the onion and bay leaves and discard; then add the roasted garlic, chili flakes and the kale. Cook for another 5-ish minutes until the kale softens. Season to taste with a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir in the nutritional yeast. Serve with crusty sourdough bread and additional chili on the side.
Notes
Dried beans need to soak in plenty of water for at least 8 hours before cooking. However, there is a quick-soaking method you can use in a pinch. It goes like this:
Put rinsed and sorted beans in a pot and cover with cold water by at least 8 cm / 3 inches. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and leave the beans in the hot liquid, covered, for 1 hour. The beans are now ready to be cooked according to your chosen recipe.