Braised Kale and Cannellini Beans
Lacinato kale simmered uncovered for twenty minutes with cannellini beans, brown butter and tomato paste. The beans break down enough to thicken the sauce on their own, so there is no flour and no cream.
Ingredients
The Brown Butter Base
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cans cannellini beans 15 ounces each, drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 can tomato paste 6 ounces
The Greens and the Finish
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock plus up to 1 cup more as needed
- 12 ounces lacinato kale stems stripped, leaves sliced into 1-inch ribbons
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest from about half a lemon
Equipment
- Large Pan
Instructions
Brown the Butter and Beans
- Melt the butter in a large wide pan over medium heat and keep cooking it until it foams, falls quiet and smells nutty, about 3 to 4 minutes. The solids on the bottom should be the color of weak tea.
- Tip in the drained beans and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, pressing a few against the side of the pan with a spoon so they break up and release their starch.
Build the Sauce
- Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant but not colored.
- Add the tomato paste and keep it moving for another minute, until it darkens a shade and smells sweet rather than sharp and tinny.
Braise the Kale
- Pour in 3 cups of the stock and scrape the browned paste off the base of the pan, then add the kale in two or three handfuls with the salt and pepper, letting each batch wilt before the next goes in.
- Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a ribbon of kale is completely tender with no squeak and the liquid coats the back of a spoon. Splash in more stock if the pan tightens too far.
Finish Off the Heat
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir through the lemon zest and the parmesan, and check the seasoning, keeping in mind that more cheese goes on at the table. Serve hot with extra parmesan.
Notes
The butter: let it foam, go quiet, then smell nutty, about 3 to 4 minutes. A pale-bottomed pan lets you see the color; in a dark skillet you will miss it.
Crush a few beans against the side of the pan before any liquid goes in. That released starch is what thickens the sauce, and skipping it is the usual cause of a watery result.
Stock: start with 3 cups and keep a fourth standing by. It should finish coating a spoon rather than pooling.
Add the parmesan and lemon zest off the heat. Cheese stirred into a boiling pan turns stringy, and the zest is what lifts the dish after a long simmer.
Make-ahead: it is better the next day. Cook it fully, hold back the zest and cheese, refrigerate, then reheat with a splash of stock and finish.
Storage: 4 days refrigerated, 3 months frozen.
Vegetarian: use vegetable stock. Vegan: olive oil for the butter and white miso for the cheese.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 742mg | Potassium: 912mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6840IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 4mg