Where some see a pot of beans as a humble, one-note dish, we see limitless potential. Our version builds layer after layer of flavor by cooking heirloom beans in stock with plenty of aromatics, then finishing the dish with a generous pour of heavy cream. The result is worthy of a main course on its own, but is also a goes-with-anything sidedish. And there’s always enough extra to turn into lunch the next day (or the next!), whether spooned over toasted bread or rice, or thinned out with stock to make a nourishing soup.
Field Notes:
- Soaking beans ahead of time helps them cook more quickly and evenly during the braise. If you forget to do this step, there’s a quick workaround: Cover the beans with a couple of inches of water, then bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the beans soak for 1 hour, then drain.
- Feel free to use as many different kinds of beans as you like in this recipe (we like mixing three or four heirloom varieties), but try to select ones of a similar size, or any smaller ones will be overcooked by the time the larger beans are tender.
- Finishing the braised beans with heavy cream makes them extra rich and flavorful, but if you eschew dairy, they’ll still be plenty tasty.
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