Over the past two years of working from home, I have gravitated towards cozy broths, soups, and stews to nourish and comfort me. I’ve made this rendition of brothy beans many times over the past two years. What I like most is that this recipe is very versatile and adaptable depending on what you have on hand or your particular mood. Sub out ingredients as you see fit. Swap onion for shallot, chipotle for ancho or pasilla, coriander for fennel, balsamic for chili oil, etc. This meal requires just a little planning the night before – you will need to soak your dried beans overnight for this recipe. Also, if you are spicy food averse, skip the dried peppers. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have.
Dried Beans, Spices, and Other Pantry Staples
Where you buy your ingredients matter. One of the reasons I love gardening is that I get to know where my ingredients come from. When an item is not readily available in the garden, I turn to different resources like Thrive, local shops, and specialty online purveyors.
I have started to buy my spices and dried goods from Thrive Market. They adhere to rigorous standards for quality, sustainability and affordability. Ordering common pantry items, like those found in this recipe, is really easy with Thrive. For this recipe, you can find kombu, coriander, black peppercorns, bay leaf, salt, salt flakes and broth on their website.
Another great place to find spices and other pantry staples is a local, specialty grocery store. In Los Angeles places like H Mart, Papa Cristo’s, India Spices and Groceries, Bay Cities, Cookbook, Sightglass, Standing’s Butcher or El Rancho Super Market are treasure troves for quality pantry staples.
For dried beans, I love Rancho Gordo based out of Napa. Rancho Gordo is on a relentless pursuit of providing ethically sourced heirloom beans and other legumes and grains. Of their offerings, I gravitate towards their cranberry and pinto beans for their soft skins and velvety texture.
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Brothy Beans
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 2 hours + overnight soaking
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried beans, I like pinto or cranberry beans
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 dried arbol chiles
- 1 dried chipotle pepper
- 2 pieces kombu
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 head of garlic cut widthwise
- 2 stalks carrot, sliced 1 inch thick
- 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 inch thick
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- Parmesan rind, optional
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- Sourdough bread croutons (quick recipe below)
- Parmesan shavings, reduced balsamic vinegar, and flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the beans overnight. Discard the water in the morning.
- Add all of the ingredients (beans, mushrooms, chiles, chipotle, kombu, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, coriander, peppercorns, bay leaf, rind, salt) to a large pot. Add water or broth. Make sure that your ingredients are covered by at least 2 inches of water or broth.
- Bring pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until beans are cooked through. You may need to add more water as the beans cook depending on the bean variety and how much is absorbed or evaporates.
- Meanwhile, prepare your croutons. Take a sourdough loaf and cut or rip large chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you have caraway seeds, I love to sprinkle a few on top as well. Toast in toaster oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once during toasting. Set aside.
- Once beans reach desired texture – they should be soft and have no “bite” to them – turn off heat and carefully remove the mushrooms, chiles, chipotle, kombu, bay leaf, and rind.
- Ladle beans and broth in to a low bowl. Garnish with flaky sea salt, parmesan shavings, reduced balsamic vinegar, and parmesan croutons. Enjoy!