I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about BEANS. Maybe it’s because they can sometimes feel heavy or even predictable (baked beans, refried beans, salsa, etc), but this dish is anything but! It’s so bright, comforting + flavorful… in a much lighter way. It highlights all the spring alliums (onion/garlic family) and I also added in some fennel because, well, spring. Feel free to change or swap the veggies for other types of onions if you wish! The measurements are definitely loose as you can tweak/adjust easily to suite your needs.
If you’re unfamiliar, confit is a style of cooking that submerges a food in oil and cooks under very low heat; this creates super juicy + tender meat with a crispy exterior (ie. Duck Confit). This white bean confit is not totally submerged in olive oil, but enough so that you get so much flavor from it. Because of this, I’d recommend using a high quality olive oil– it’s what brings the whole things together!
Lastly, there’s a little bit of effort that goes into the start of this recipe, but don’t be alarmed, it turns into a “throw it in the oven & forget about it” situation rather quickly. Make it as a side dish or warm up leftovers for lunch (the flavors develop even more)– either way, get to it! You’ll never look at beans the same. Oh, and the whole cooked lemons that get all jammy and delicious and melt in your mouth? Drool.
INGREDIENTS:
(serves 4-6 as side dish)
1 (15oz) can butter beans
1 (15oz) can navy or cannellini beans
1 medium leek
1 small fennel bulb
1 shallot
3-4 green garlic or 1-2 spring onions*
3/4-1 tsp salt
1.5 lemons
1 cup olive oil
optional herbs: mint + dill + chives (or any other!)
*Green garlic is just simply young garlic, where it’s been harvested before it’s fully grown! It will look like a thicker/lighter scallion almost and you’ll use the white + light green parts. This is more common throughout farmers market’s vs. the grocery store. Spring onions are similar– they’re simply young onions! They’ll have a larger bulb than green garlic or scallions, but much smaller than a typical onion. All of this to say: you can’t mess this up! If it’s spring where you live or you have access to these varieties, great! If not, use a little extra leek or shallot, yellow onion, or even regular garlic cloves, sliced or smashed.
RECIPE:
Heat your oven to 300 and grabbing a 10 or 12in cast iron (or any oven save frying pan).
Start by prepping all of your veg. I prefer a mandolin tool for this as it’s quick and uniform, but watch your fingers! Thinly slice the shallot to about 1/8 in. Remove the root and dark green tops of the leeks. Rinse well and remove the outmost layer as dirt hides under there often. Slice the leek into large rounds, about 1/2 in each. For the fennel- slice the root and the dark green top off. Chop or use mandolin for about 1/4 in thin slices, removing some of the harder root/core toward the bottom. Set aside.
Lastly, if you’re using green garlic or spring onions, chop off the root and the dark green tops, keeping the center white/light green parts. I like to chop one of them into small pieces and then the others more length-wise for some variation (and it’s pretty on top!). Drain + rinse your beans off. Slice 1 lemon into thin 1/4 in slices, removing seeds. Slice again into half moons.
Heat your pan over medium-high heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of olive oil and when hot, add leeks to the pan undisturbed for about 2-3 minutes, until brown. Remove and place on a plate.
Add in the length-wise cut spring onion or green garlic (if using), cut side down, until brown (a few minutes). Remove and place on plate with leeks.
Add in the chopped green garlic (or regular garlic) + shallots. Stir and saute for a few minutes. Add in the fennel for another few minutes, until starting to soften.
Add in the rest of olive oil (3/4 cup), salt (3/4 tsp), few cracks of pepper, sliced lemons (yes skin intact!), and beans. Stir well to coat and mix. Nestle in the leeks (browned side up) and spring onions or green garlic. Squeeze the juice of the remaining half lemon over the top. Cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle some flaky sea salt if you wish (you should always wish) and chopped herbs. Serve as it or with some crusty bread for soaking up that delicious sauce!