What did we eat with our insanely good Herbed Flatbread? Why, White Beans with Sage, of course! So satisfying in this stupid (as Harry would call itâeverything is âstupidâ these days, unless itâs âpoopyâ) weather. Silky, velvety, smooth⊠scooping them up with torn pieces of flatbread is just the thing to do when itâs too dreary to do much of anything. And using The Paupered Chefâs no-soak method, which I first tried with Frijoles Negros in 90 Minutes, theyâre ready inâyou guessed itâjust about 90 minutes.
White Beans with Sage
Adapted from Saveur
Serves 6-8
Weight Watchers: 6 servings are 11 PointsPlus each; 8 servings are 8 PointsPlus each
1 pound dried navy or cannellini beans
1 medium onion, halvedâšthrough the root
1 head garlic, split in half, loose papery peels discarded
2 small sprigs fresh sage leaves, plus 6 more leaves
5 black peppercorns
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Set the oven to 250°F. Place the beans, onion, garlic, sprigs of sage, peppercorns, and 1/4 cup oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the flame, cover the pot, and put it in the oven.
- Set a timer for 60 minutes, and check the beans. Odds are theyâll be softening but not cooked, so add some salt and give them 15-20 minutes more and check again, and check again every 15-20 until theyâre tender.
- Cool the beans, uncovered, in their cooking liquid. Strain, but reserve the liquidâyouâll want that if you use the leftovers for soup or pasta sauce. Remove and discard the large pieces of onion and the peppercorns. Transfer the beans to a mixing bowl. Chop the remaining 6 sage leaves and stir into the beans, along with the remaining 1â4 cup olive oil. Add a little of the cooking liquid if it looks too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
MAKE BABY FOOD: Are you kidding? These are perfect for early eaters! Puree some with a bit of the cooking water, or scatter a handful of cooked beans on the high chair tray and let baby go to town.
Nursing mamas might want to avoid this one, as sage can inhibit supply. Or, if you're weaning, this is a great dish! đ
Gretchen, the lactation consultant I interviewed for the cookbook said sage tea will inhibit, but not when it's used in cooking–she assured you'd have to eat A LOT of sage leaves for it to have a real effect. She actually couldn't think of a single food (as opposed to tea/tincture/etc) that will inhibit–only foods that will increase supply. So go ahead, enjoy!
ok, two questions: is consuming sage in a dish OK for pregnant mamas? i'm 31 weeks. and second, could i use chicken broth for this instead of water, for a bit more flavor? thanks!
Elizabeth, I'm not a doctor but all my research points to *culinary* herbs being safe–they're used in such small quantities, and you'd need to have quite a concentrated dose to have an effect. And yes, chicken broth would be just fine!
thanks, debbie, i figured as much, but you never know. i see my midwife tomorrow anyway, and since i'm not planning to make this until the weekend, i'll know for sure. and i just might try that chicken broth… ( ;
Ugh, about the canned beans. Had never known that.
This sounds delicious. I love the idea of sage in white beans.And yes, I agree, culinary amounts of herbs like this should be fine!
Christine, I think I was unclear–Molly was talking about the dried beans you'll find in a supermarket. Canned (assuming they're BPA-free) shouldn't be that old. I hope.
At any rate, I added the word "dried" to the post…
Oh, no! I've been feeling so virtuous cooking my dried beans recently. Though perhaps this is a sign that it's time to add some beans to our just-barely-poking-up sugar snap peas hanging out in front of the playroom window.
A winning combo.
Just for fun I planted a handful of the dried supermarket beans (navy and black) when we planted our Kentucky Wonder pole beans last week. Our sugar snap and pole beans are thriving. The navy and black beans? Well… Maybe I should invest in seed packets. Not a one poked up.
Interesting, Reidy! Though I guess I'm not surprised–being a total gardening virgin, I never would've thought to plant dried beans as seeds! Now I have an experiment to do with Harry…
Where do you get your dried beans if you don't get them from the supermarket? I'm curious. Thanks.
Anon, you can get beans from smaller companies at places like Whole Foods or the farmers' market, and online too–http://ranchogordo.com/ is a pretty prominent grower.