White bean stew

I simply have to share this recipe. If you can even call it a recipe. It's from the Kitchen Express cookbook by Mark Bittman.

The recipes in this book are very simple and the format isn't typical of a cookbook. Each recipe is in the form of a paragraph and doesn't really have specific measurements.

Remember when I made the bread, goat cheese, pear, balsamic vinegar snack thing and I raved about it? It's from this book.

I've done one other thing so far but it wasn't worth sharing here. This recipe wasn't looking promising as I was making it so there aren't many photos but it turned out so yummy I wanted to share!

Here's the recipe word for word...

White Bean Stew

Cook some minced garlic in a little oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add a can of chopped tomatoes with their juice, a cup ot two of broth (bean cooking liquid is fine) a couple cups of precooked or canned cannellini or other white beans, a handful of chopped ham, and some salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cook until hot, then add a couple handfuls of spinach, baby arugula,  or other tender greens and cook, stirring until the greens wilt. Meanwhile, brush a few slices of baguette or other good bread with olive oil, rub with fresh garlic, and toast until golden. Serve the stew over the bread.

I processed the can of tomatoes because I don't really like big chunks. I did add the bean goop from the can and I used vegetable stock to thin things out. I got a good piece of ham from Whole Foods and it was perfect for it. I added some garlic powder and Italian seasonings. At first it just smelled tomatoey and didn't have any depth but after it cooked down for a few it got better, then really good! I think the best part of all of it is the bread! Toasty, crunchy bread with the stew on top, it was yummy!

Give it a try!