Year of the Bean

On another snowy winter’s day, I needed a walk and so headed out to my favorite fishmonger, Mermaid’s Garden. I didn’t have anything in particular in mind, but got the glimmer of an idea after buying some hake and on my way home, a baguette from She Wolf Bakery. It was time for a nice seafood cassoulet. This is one of my favorite meals in a while – the broth comes out so rich, and you absolutely must use a spoon and good crusty bread to mop up every last drop.

Ingredients

• 150g Rancho Gordo Flageolet Beans
• 250g hake or other mild whitefish, cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 C. spinach
• 1 C. canned or fresh whole tomatoes, halved (don’t get them too mashed)
• one onion, chopped
• one carrot, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• three cloves garlic, smashed
• one bay leaf
• olive oil
• salt

Procedure

1. Add beans, onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, and olive oil to a pot and cover with 2″ water; raise to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then lower to a simmer and cook until beans begin to soften
2. Add salt and continue to simmer until beans are well cooked but broth is not fully reduced; set aside
3. In a sauté pan, add olive oil and heat to medium-low; add tomatoes and cook gently for a few minutes
4. Add about half the beans and their broth (setting the rest aside for leftovers), enough to fill the pan; raise to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, careful not to cook off all the liquid (you can add more water or some white wine if needed)
5. Place the cubes of fish around the pan, add a generous crack of black pepper all around, and cover with all the spinach on top
6. Cover the pan and let steam for 3 minutes; uncover and stir spinach gently, careful not to jostle the fish too much, and make sure the spinach is well wilted and the fish opaque
7. Serve in a low bowl with plenty of broth and good bread!