Warm Your Soul with This Winter White Bean Stew
Full of flavor, protein and love from France to get you through the chill
At the moment, Monsieur B and I feel like we’re turning into champignons (mushrooms)! Paris has been rainy, dark, damp, dreary and cold, and what I experience of French winters is completely different to those I spent over many years in New York City.
The humid cold here in France seems to be better for my sinuses. I suffered every season when I lived in NYC, so much so that my ENT specialist threatened surgery, but for the past two years in France, barely a sniffle (which is great because in French an ENT is an ORL, or oto-rhino-laryngologiste, and exactly no one wants to pronounce that).
All the above being acknowledged, the French dampness and the general aversion to over-heating a home seems to be a bit worse for my shivering bones. It’s just so crazy that when you move to another country, your physical state can change so dramatically. I hadn’t anticipated that.
Add to our mushroom status the fact that we’ve been dealing lately with some different (hopefully minor) health issues. So we’ve been rotating in a few more plant-based meals each week to complement our standard melted cheese variations. I’m currently smitten with lentils and beans, so I thought I’d share a simple but very cozy recette (recipe) for a Warm Winter White Bean Stew that is so satisfying and delicious!
Don’t we all need and deserve a little more warmth and well-being in the new year?
Something to comfort and soothe…ça fait du bien (it does us good)
This protein-packed Warm Winter White Bean Stew calls for things you may already have dans ton garde-manger (in your pantry)— the star is des haricots blancs (cannellini beans or other white beans) plus simple accompaniments—des oignons (onions), des carottes (carrots), de la pulpe de tomate (crushed tomatoes), and du pain rassis (stale bread), plus a few dried herbs, du fromage rapé (grated cheese) and some other teeny bits and bobs. This recipe could not be easier. It’s beans, and beans are by nature totally laid back.
The whole thing takes about a half hour to prepare, including chopping up the veg. You often see stews like this served with bread on the side for dipping, but I like to toast spoon-friendly croutons of stale, olive oil-drenched baguette or crusty bread in the oven and throw them right on top of the bowl o’ beans for easy, effortless mouth delivery. Génial !
If you’re feeling extra, you can twirl and then add a swirl of the very easy Balsamic-Honey Glaze at the end. It creates another layer of flavor, but is totally optional. Just as a note, this 30-second glaze is also great on nearly anything from salads to greens to melted cheese-toast to roast chicken to you-name-it.
Here’s a quick little video on how to make this comforting bean dish to warm your next chilly night, and the recipe follows just below. You can absolutely make it ahead as well for a Sunday supper or meal prep for multiple weekday lunches.
The bonus: les restes sont encore meilleurs le lendemain ! (the leftovers are even better the next day!)
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WARM WINTER WHITE BEAN STEW WITH BALSAMIC-HONEY DRIZZLE
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS: FOR THE STEW
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbsp herbes de Provence (or 1/2 tsp each of dried rosemary, thyme, oregano)
32 oz white beans (cannellini or your fave, rinsed and drained)
1/4 hot water or your favorite stock
1/4 cup red wine (plus one glass of wine for you, The Chef!)
1 cup tomato purée or crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
3 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 cup toasted croutons (cut stale crusty bread into cubes, then drizzle with olive oil, add a little salt and some dried herbs and toast at 400 degrees till crispy and golden, about 8-10 mins)
INGREDIENTS: FOR THE BALSAMIC-HONEY DRIZZLE (Optional)
Put everything in a jar with a lid and shake, or whisk in a bowl.
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION: MAKE THE STEW
STEP ONE
Heat a heavy pan with deep sides on medium. Add the olive oil. Once warm, add the onion, shallot, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for about 6-8 minutes or until softening but not brown.
STEP TWO
Add the tomato paste and the dried herbs and stir. Add in the beans, the water/stock and the red wine and stir. Let cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.
STEP THREE
Pour in the tomato purée or crushed tomatoes. Once they start to bubble, turn the heat down to a simmer for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft and flavors are well combined.
STEP FOUR
Turn off the heat, add in the cheese and the parsley, and stir.
STEP FIVE
Spoon warm stew into bowls and top with toasted croutons, parsley and balsamic-honey glaze (optional but for such a little effort it adds a lovely brightness and just a whisper of sweet)
Even More Cozy Flavor Inspo for Those Chilly Days & Nights
If you lust for French farmhouse cooking (and I know I do), The Camont Journals with Kate Hill is there to welcome you by the fire with recipes and a serialized memoir about her adventures in France.
If you’re more into rolling British hills and adorable young écolo “farmer-cook-gardener” chefs, the livin’-off-the-land Instagram feed of Julius Roberts may be ton genre de truc (just your thing).
Wherever la fin de semaine finds you, I hope it will be delicious and full of all the cozy comfort, rest and restoration you seek. You deserve it and you should revel in it.
Bon appétit et bon week-end, les amis !
Karen
I experienced that same constant chill, under the white sky for months, during my winter in Reims! Very different climate from NYC! And I agree, soups are the antidote. :-)