White Beans with Sage and Garlic

I found this interesting recipe on a new way to prepare beans in a book called, My Brother's Farm: Reflections on Life, Farming, and the Pleasure of Food.


How cool! I'm testing it today, so I will report back on how they came out.

I soaked 2 cups of white beans last night. Rinsed and drained them this morning. Layered them in a very large canning jar...1/3 of the beans, lots of fresh elephant garlic, lots of fresh sage, and fresh ground pepper and a splash of olive oil, continuing for a total of 3 layers. Fill with water. Place the jar in a large stock pot 1/2 full with water. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

It sure looks pretty cooking on my stove.

UPDATE: SUNDAY 6/25

I cooked the beans all day, not just for 3 hours, and they still never got quite tender enough (but the kitchen smelt wonderful), so I finished them off in the pressure cooker adding a little more water, 15 minutes at high. Then added salt to taste, and removed the large peices of garlic and sage.

Maybe a bigger jar would have worked, they were pretty tightly packed. Or I could try cutting the recipe in 1/2 and use the same jar, since I don't really have a bigger one. The recipe in the book called for a fish bowl (would that really be able to stand the heat?).

They are delicious! Great flavor. And the water base has become like a rich gravy. This would be perfect served over egg noodles. I think it would be a great vegan substitute for turkey gravy on Thanksgiving, with all the sage, and it turning out so thick, its exactly like turkey gravy.

It's the perfect time to try this recipe, with garlic and sage in abundance.