My favorite kind of food is rough and very unfancy. That being said, I will never turn down oysters and Chablis (as far as I’m concerned, a better pairing than champagne). Last night I made one of those beautifully uncomplicated meals — with white beans, the epitome of ‘unfancy’.
I started by gently sweating some red onions in a little olive oil. Then, I added green peppers, tomatoes and fresh herbs. The beans were a final addition as cooking them too long will mean ending up with mush. I served the dish with oven baked sausages, a side of broccoli and a bottle of Cabernet Franc,
Here’s the recipe:
Mediterranean Style White Bean Casserole
Serves 3-4
- 2 tbsps mild olive oil
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 5 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
- 2 fat cloves of garlic, finely sliced
- a bunch of fresh mixed spices of your choice, chopped (I used sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary)
- freshly-cracked pepper & fleur de sel
- 500g cooked white beans
- good olive oil, for drizzling
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole and gently sweat the onion for 10 minutes. Add the pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Follow with the tomatoes, giving those about 10 minutes (with the lid on the pan). Add the garlic, fresh spices and salt and peper, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans, just warming them through. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and baked sausages. Also great as a vegetarian meal all on its own!