Warm beans and garden Kale salad

Beans require soaking before cooking so when I prepare them I usually soak and cook more than required for a particular dish and keep the rest for another recipe. The other day I made a lovely bean soup and only used half of the beans, keeping the rest in the fridge for a couple of days and today used them to make this warm bean salad.

Beans are nice on their own with a splash of fruity olive oil and fresh thyme or oregano but this year I planted kale in my rooftop garden and it is already yielding a nice little crop so I picked some larger, some smaller leaves to use for this dish. I wilted the larger leaves in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet, added the beans and tossed in the small leaves at the end so they are not fully cooked and add freshness to the dish. I added a few sorrel leaves for a lemony note and fresh garden herbs for fragrance and flavour.

Fresh bread crumbs quickly sautéed in olive oil and combined with chopped parsley add a crunch element when you sprinkle them on top just before serving.

I served it with crusty bread for lunch and thought I’d share it with you.

Enjoy.

White beans and kale warm salad

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked white beans

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
A pinch dried hot pepper flakes

a large handful of kale leaves, roughly chopped
A few young kale and sorrel leaves, cleaned but left whole
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (thyme, oregano)

Crumb topping:

1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped flat parsley leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet large enough to hold the beans.

Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, a few seconds,  but be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the larger kale leaves and toss until just wilted.

Add the beans and mix gently, adding more oil if necessary.

When everything is warm and combined add the more delicate kale leaves of you have them and mix them in gently.

To make the crumbs: heat up the oil in a small skillet, add the bread crumbs and cook until crisp and golden. Add the chopped parsley and remove from heat.

To serve: spoon the beans and kale into serving dishes, sprinkle some crumbs over and serve with additional olive oil on the side.

The lilacs are blooming and the whole patio is fragrant with their scent.

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