Bitter Greens and Beans for Grown-Ups
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I have a particular love for the chicories, the bitter lettuces, which include radicchio (red, pink, green and speckled varieties), endive, escarole and dandelion greens, not to mention all the dark leafy varieties of chicory the Italians consume, like dente de leone, spada, and the strange, crunchy, not-so-leafy, many-lobed bulb called puntarelle.
Any of these bitter greens — or a mixture of two or three of them — work well with beans. Together in a bowl or plate, beans and greens have enough complexity and umami to please carnivores and vegetarians alike. The long simmered with the quickly sauteed!
You might try cranberry beans and dandelion greens. Cannellini beans and escarole. Chickpeas and rapini. On a hot summer day, there’s fresh arugula with white beans and cherry tomatoes. One of my favorite preparations is large dried limas cooked to a cloud-like softness with one or more bitter greens.
Lima beans are terrific cooked with rosemary, bay leaves and a pinch of red peppers, but the spice level is the cook’s to adjust. Hot sauce can be added at the table. Or various flavor enhancers — from smoked paprika to fish sauce-infused salt — can be used in the last few minutes of cooking.
This recipe is featured in the story “Bitter is beautiful. Greens and beans for grown-ups,” along with the recipe for A Surprising and Versatile Pineapple Tart.
Lima Beans and Bitter Greens
Make the beans: Drain and rinse the soaked lima beans.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and rosemary, then, stirring, sauté until onions soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the drained lima beans, bay leaves and water or broth to an inch above the beans.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until limas are soft but still holding their shape, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Keep an eye on the water/broth, adding more if necessary to keep beans covered. You’ll want the beans soupy. Discard any skins that float to the surface.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of dried chile flakes, which adds a little kick. With the back of a spoon mash a few limas to thicken the sauce. Taste the beans and, if desired, add an optional flavor enhancer to suit your taste.
Pressure cooker or Instapot variation: To cook the lima beans in an Instapot or pressure cooker, sauté the onion and rosemary in olive oil for a minute, add the bay leaves, lima beans, and 2 ½ cups boiling water to pot. Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 11 minutes. Bring the pressure down naturally for 10 minutes. If too soupy, simmer for a few minutes and thicken, as above, by mashing a few beans against the side of the pot. Season to taste with salt, pepper, chile flakes and optional flavor enhancers.
Make the greens: In a frying pan or wok, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes, then sauté until shallots are softened, up to 1 minute.
Add greens of choice or radicchio, then stir until well-coated with oil and minced shallots and garlic. Keep stirring over medium-high heat until the greens turn bright green or the radicchio wilts.
Add a splash of water, wine or broth and, turning heat to low, cover and let steam until just tender, a minute or so.
Add salt and pepper to taste, turn off heat, then add lemon juice to taste.
To serve: Ladle beans into a wide bowl and top with bitter greens.
If desired, top each serving with a few cherry tomato halves and drizzle with a good quality extra-virgin olive oil. Put out hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Sriracha, for those who want it.
