The addition of stock boosts this simple bean preparation (not much different from the preceding one in technique) to another level, and it’s a good one. This is a more elegant bean dish, at home with any good dish of roast meat, like Lechon Asado (page 375) or Grilled or Roast Lamb with Herbs (page 358). As with all legumes, if you have a chance to soak the beans ahead of time, they will cook a little more quickly, but it isn’t essential. Other legumes you can prepare this way: chickpeas (allow for longer cooking time), flageolets (the traditional French accompaniment to leg of lamb).

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　About 1/2 pound dried white beans, rinsed and picked over

　　About 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 160)

　　1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or a pinch of dried

　　1 tablespoon minced garlic

　　1 medium carrot, finely chopped

　　1 celery stalk, finely chopped

　　1 medium onion, finely chopped

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 medium tomatoes, cored

　　2 tablespoons butter, optiona

　　

Step 1

If time allows, soak dried beans for several hours or overnight. (If not, proceed, but expect cooking time to be somewhat longer.) Place the drained beans in a large pot with all but a cup of the stock and the thyme, garlic, carrot, celery, and onion; add water if necessary (or more stock, if you have it) to cover. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil; partially cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers steadily.

　　

Step 2

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about an hour. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Continue to cook, adding water if necessary, until the beans are quite soft, another 15 to 30 minutes or so.

　　

Step 3

Add the remaining cup of stock and raise the heat so the mixture bubbles energetically. Cut the tomatoes in half through their equators, then, over the sink, shake and squeeze them to rid them of their seeds and some of their juices. Chop finely and add to the beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are moist but not soupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then stir in the butter if you’re using it and serve or refrigerate for up to 3 days before reheating and adding the butter. (Or add water to cover and freeze for up to a month.)

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.