White Bean Stew and Radicchio-Apple Salad | Ellie Krieger

It’s fast food to me when it involves opening a can of beans and making a salad. Ellie Krieger nails it with the white bean stew and a radicchio-apple salad, delivering a fast meal within an half hour. Notably, the tartness of the salad pairs remarkably well against the earthiness of the warm bean stew.

I came across this article: “crown a bowl of beans with jewel-toned salad for a fresh, flavorful meal” by Ellie Krieger in the Washington Post on Feb 25. The image of the white bean with a radicchio-apple salad is eye popping. Then the article proceeds with ideas on how you can upgrade a dish with a modern, healthful sensitivity. I am all ears about recipe construction and presentation.

Basically, you can dial up the instagram worthiness of any dish by topping it with a stack of dressed greens. They could be a mound of arugula, a feathery pile of frisée, or simply a fried egg on top. Good to know! Chefs do that all the times, so can we.

One of the lessons of the pandemic season is the versatility of dry beans for sustenance. Actually, beans are much faster to cook when they are fresh. In this recipe, a can of white beans is simmered in a vegetable broth with toasted garlic, rosemary and a strip of lemon peel, for just 10 minutes. That’s long enough for the stew to come together, infusing it with aromatic flavor as the beans thicken.

The salad is the mix of thinly sliced radicchio and matchsticks of green apple. The companion dressing is simply the emulsion of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. In addition, the tone of red and green of the salad creates a lovely antidote to the whiteness of the beans. Indeed, it’s an instagram ready combination.

Print Recipe

White Bean Stew with Garlic and Rosemary and Radicchio-Apple Salad

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Two (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (3 cups cooked beans)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• One (1/2-by-3-inch) strip lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced radicchio
• 1/2 unpeeled small green apple, cored and cut into matchsticks (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1

COOK THE BEANS: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic and heat until the garlic starts to sizzle lightly. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently until the garlic is golden but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, then add the beans, broth, lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.

2

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and mashing some of the beans against the pot with a spoon to thicken the liquid, until the mixture is thick and saucy and the ingredients have melded, about 10 minutes.

3

MAKE THE RADICCHIO AND APPLE SALAD: When ready to serve, in a medium bowl, toss the radicchio and apple with the remaining oil, the lemon juice and the remaining salt and pepper.

4

To serve, spoon the stew into shallow bowls and top with a generous mound of the radicchio-apple salad.

Notes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/02/25/bean-stew-recipe-salad/