Georgina Hayden’s recipe for brothy braised chicory and beans
When I want something wholesome and comforting, cooking beans this way is my go-to. The dish consists mostly of ingredients I always have in the cupboard or fridge, and I mix up the vegetables depending on what’s in season. A versatile leaf, chicory is resplendent raw and cooked. I love the bitterness it brings to these creamy, salty, gently spicy beans.
Brothy braised chicory and beans
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2, or 4 as part of a larger meal
4 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
3 chicory heads, trimmed and finely sliced
4 anchovies
½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 700g jar beans (or 2 x 400g tins), such as cannellini or borlotti
250ml chicken or vegetable stock
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
50g parmesan, finely grated
Put the oil in a large frying or saute pan and add the garlic. Fry over a medium-low heat for a few minutes, then add the sliced chicory and saute for five minutes. Add the anchovies and chilli flakes, and keep stirring and frying until the anchovies dissolve.
Tip in the beans and their liquid (if using tinned beans, use the liquid from one tin only), add the stock, bring to a boil, then leave to bubble away for about 15 minutes, until the mix turns creamy and the liquid has thickened. You want oozy beans, so if the pan looks as if it’s drying out, add more stock; and if it is very wet, turn up the heat a little.
When the beans are perfectly creamy, take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and the grated parmesan, and serve.
