A perfect warming element on a cold winter Florida night.
1 pound dried Great Northern beans (canned beans don't work as well)
3 slices applewood-smoked bacon
2 c. chopped onion (about 2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 c. chicken broth
2 c. water
1 1/2 T. minced fresh thyme
1 T. minced fresh rosemary (or you can use 2 t. dried)
1 bunch kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 (2-ounce) piece Parmesan rind
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Soak beans overnight (or at least 8 hours) by covering with water to 2 inches above beans. Drain.
2. Cook bacon in a pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, you can pour off everything but 2 t. of bacon fat but I left it all – after all, fat is flavor! Crumble bacon and set aside. Add onion to pan; cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds.
3. Add beans, broth, water, thyme, rosemary, and kale to pan; bring to a boil. Add rind to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove from heat; discard rind. Stir in juice then add bacon. Makes enough for about 8 people.
NOTES:
Resist the urge to delete the cheese rind – it makes a huge difference.
Other things you could add:
Halfway through cooking, throw in half a small jalapeno pepper (seeded)
Stir in 1 c. fresh, chopped arugula at the end
Add a cup of chopped spicy chorizo five or so minutes before you serve it
Adopted from Cooking Light Magazine
This article appears in Jan 14-20, 2009.