Eat Well: I like big beans and I cannot lie (you other mothers can't deny)

The following post was written by my mom, WWW. Thanks, mom!

My friend, Lorraine, gave me a recipe for Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, which I immediately lost. Instead of calling her to get the recipe again, I decided to come up with my own version and I am so glad I did. If I hadn’t have, I wouldn’t have come to the conclusion that super large beans are super versatile. 

Once the beans are cooked, you can use them as a base for any simple meal. Greeks use giant beans (gigantes) in many recipes and typically bake the cooked beans in a tomato-based sauce. You can also toss them with pesto or bruschetta for a delicious and nutritious gluten free alternative to pasta. Or simply warm a bowl of them, drizzle a little olive oil on top, and toss them with chopped garlic, lemon, and a grinding of salt and pepper for a lovely lunch or side dish. (I had this for lunch yesterday and it was amazing!) Add a little vinegar and some herbs and serve over greens for a scrumptious salad. Or puree the beans with garlic, oil, and herbs for a dip or spread. The ideas are endless.

The Greeks fry their Gigantes after breading them first but I like Heidi Swanson’s method of simply frying them in oil or clarified butter and adding greens and garlic. Here is her original recipe. She also has a variation using kale and walnuts on her blog which is also delicious, but in the end, Larry and I liked my variation best.

I had a hard time finding large dried white beans (Gigantes or Carona beans are ideal) so I used large lima beans.

Later I found large runner cannellini beans, too, which had a nuttier flavor and were also delicious. Any large white bean works but the larger the better. The recipe only requires ½ pound of beans, but I cooked a pound of beans and used them for other recipes.

Crispy Giant Beans and Arugula 

(inspired by Heidi Swanson’s Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans) 

½ lb large (dried) white beans or lima beans (the larger the better)
olive oil
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
1 bunch arugula, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight.

Drain, add fresh water, and cook until tender (depending on the bean, anywhere from 1-2 1/2 hours).

Drain beans. Heat 2 T oil in a large skillet. Take several handfuls of beans and toss in 1 T of oil in a bowl. Add beans in a single layer to hot skillet and fry until golden brown on medium high (3-4 minutes).

Turn beans and fry on the other side until golden. (You can do this in batches.) Add garlic to beans in hot pan and stir for about a minute. 

Add arugula and stir until just wilted.

Toss with lemon, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil. Serve!

Enjoy!

Love, 

WWW