I was reading about butter beans (yes I know they're blowing up right now) and saw an Instagram recipe that I thought would be really good. I could not make it as written but wanted to put my own spin on it.
Notes:
- I was concerned about having dirt in my leeks if prepared the way the author shows in their video, so I sliced my leeks in half lengthwise before cooking them, rubbed a bit of olive oil on them, then baked them in the air fryer for about 20 minutes to get some charred bits.
- The recipe is designed to be vegan but since I'm not vegan and didn't want to go to the store specifically for vegan ingredients I used standard dairy butter and milk.
- I scaled it down to fit the amount of ingredients I had, especially since it made a lot and I knew I'd be the only one eating it.
- I didn't bake it after mixing everything together because I was short on time.
- I ate it on top of toasted bread.
Verdict: It was fairly easy to make which was nice. I burned my mouth trying to eat it before it was cool enough to eat it and it still tasted good. White wine adds such a nice flavor. I would love to have it again.
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RECIPE:
Burnt Leeks and Beans
adapted from Burnt Leeks and Beans (Georgie Eats)
Serves 2-3
2 large leeks or 3-4 small (about 500 g)
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp (30 g) butter
1 tbsp (8 g) all purpose flour
2 large garlic cloves, minced (if using prepared garlic, about 2 tsp)
2/3 cup (150 ml) half and half or milk of your choice
Scant 1/4 cup (50 ml) dry white wine (I like chardonnay)
1 whole sprig fresh rosemary, or 1/2 tsp dried and crumbled
1/2 tbsp (about 4 g) nutritional yeast
16 oz can (about 450 g) butter beans or white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Crusty bread, for serving
Preheat the oven to 425 F (or 400 F for air fryer/convection oven). Trim the root ends and tops from the leeks at the point they start to flare (where it starts to turn a darker green). Reserve tops for another use or discard. Cut in half lengthwise, rinse thoroughly (separate the layers a little while rinsing to get between them). Dry thoroughly. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Place on an aluminum foil lined baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until significantly browned/charred on the outside.
While the leeks are roasting, melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When fully melted and foaming, whisk in flour and garlic vigorously to form a paste (roux). Cook while whisking for several more minutes to fully cook the flour. Gradually add milk a little at a time, whisking continuously, to make a smooth sauce. Add the white wine and rosemary, then heat the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and glossy and alcohol has been evaporated. Remove the rosemary sprig from the sauce (if using fresh; if using dried omit this step), then add nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Transfer roasted leeks to a cutting board and chop roughly (into about 2 in/5 cm length pieces). Add these to the pan with the sauce. Add beans to the pan. Stir to coat the leeks and beans thoroughly with the sauce. If you like, you can transfer this to an oven-proof dish and bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top, but can also be eaten as is at this point. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste, and serve with crusty bread.
