broccolini beans

original recipe

ingredients

• brothy beans
  • ¹⁄₂ pound of dried white beans (if using canned beans, skip this whole portion)
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, 5 ounces / 140 grams
  • 1 small lemon, 2 ounces / 56 grams
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 6 cups of water
• broccolini
  • ³⁄₄ pound of broccolini
  • ¹⁄₂ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 flat-packed anchovy fillets
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 4 Calabrian chilies
  • 1 4.2-ounce tin of mackerel, anchovies, or sardines. Tins with lemon flavor, caper flavor, olive flavor or chili flavor will work best.
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 cup chopped parsley, 1.5 ounces / 44 grams

instructions

1. Add the ¹⁄₂ pound of dried beans to a very large bowl. Cover them with water until they are submerged by at least 2 inches. Season the water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Let them soak for 6 hours up to 24 hours. The longer the soak, the quicker the beans will take to cook.
2. When you are ready to cook your beans, place a large stock pot over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot, about ¹⁄₄ cup.
3. Let the oil heat up for a few minutes. Peel and halve the onion, leaving the root intact. Clean and halve the lemon lengthwise, peel the garlic cloves. Add the onion, lemon and garlic cloves to the oil, cut sides down. Sear for 6-8 minutes or until charred, then flip.
4. Drain the beans. Add the beans to the pot and season with 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Pour in six cups of water. Bring this to a simmer, cover, and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. When it has been 45 minutes, start testing the beans for doneness. I like to try 2-3 beans, because sometimes beans can cook unevenly in the pot.
6. When the beans are done, strain out most of the bean broth, leaving about ¹⁄₂ cup of broth in the pot with the beans. You can discard the lemon but keep the onion and garlic in with the beans. Reserve the broth for other recipes (use it like vegetable stock – only it’s much more delicious!). Set the pot of beans aside while you do the broccolini portion.
7. If using canned beans skip to this step.
8. Finely chop the broccolini and set aside. Thinly slice the 6 garlic cloves and 4 Calabrian chilies and set these aside as well.
9. Add ¹⁄₂ cup of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 4 anchovy fillets, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and 1 teaspoon oregano. Cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the fillets have melted into the oil.
10. Add the chilies and garlic and let the oil simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the edges of the garlic are beginning to turn golden.
11. Add the finely chopped broccolini and stir to coat in the oil. Cook for 6-8 minutes, seasoning with ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked pepper, plus more to taste.
12. Pour in everything in the bean pot into the broccolini mix (this includes the onion, garlic cloves and ¹⁄₂ cup of bean broth), or if you are using canned beans, add those here. Stir to coat in the broccolini.
13. Break in a nice jar of tinned anchovies, mackerel or sardines. Stir to combine, breaking up the chunks into smaller pieces.
14. Squeeze in the juice from half of the lemon. Let simmer uncovered for 5-6 minutes. The beans should be thick with a bit of liquid and oil pooling at the sides.
15. Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice to taste, then stir in the parsley.
16. Serve with crusty bread.