As the days start to warm up, we move away from meat-heavy mains to meatless dishes full of flavor and comfort, such as a bean and vegetable stew peppered with chili and mellowed with cinnamon and butternut.
Bean stews are not difficult to make—they simply require a good pan, some stirring, and plenty of time. All the components for this beautiful dish can be prepared in advance. You’ll need about 30 minutes to pull them together into the finished dish.
For the best texture, cook dried beans to toothsome tenderness. I order my favorite dried beans from Rancho Gordo. This small Napa, California, company specializes in heirloom beans from Central California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Mexico. Their Domingo Rojo, Rio Zape, cranberry, and Tuscan red beans prove delicious in the stew that follows. Scarlet runner beans are nearly the size of canned butter beans with a beautiful, meaty texture; use them when you can find them.
Many recipes call for a long soak for dried beans; this shortens the cooking time a bit. However, I usually skip the soaking to keep colors and flavors richer; just tack on a few extra minutes of simmer time. My best advice is to cook dried beans several days in advance of serving them. Containers of beautifully cooked dried beans, stored in their cooking liquid in the refrigerator, means beans ready to add to salads, soups, and stews.
For speed, simply swap in canned beans. Generally, two 15-ounce cans of beans can replace a 1/2 pound of dried beans. In the recipe that follows, you can use precut refrigerated or frozen butternut squash cubes instead of cutting up a fresh squash—faster and safer.
Serve the stew with fresh cornbread. Try adding one cup thawed frozen fire-roasted corn to enhance boxed cornbread mix.
This bean and vegetable stew reheats beautifully. For a great Saturday brunch dish, top warm bowls full with a fried egg and a shower of chopped fresh herbs and black pepper.
Red and Butter Bean Vegetable Stew
Makes 8 servings
