Savor a flavorful, brothy bowl of oven-cooked cranberry beans
If it’s possible to rank beans, then I put cranberry beans at the top — their thin skins and creamy insides make them a clear winner. Plump them up in an irresistible broth of browned fennel and garlic with heaps of fresh thyme. Ladle straight into bowls topped with a generous hunk of bread for sopping, and enjoy in a room infused with the warmth and aroma afforded only by baking beans.
Sure, you could pressure cook them or simmer them on the stove, but I’m making a case for putting beans back in the oven where they belong. No more watching the pot for overboiling, stirring to prevent scalding or worrying about tiny hands reaching up to the hot stove when you (inevitably) turn your back during the long process of cooking beans. But best of all, you get to enjoy an hour of completely hands-off time while the beans are in the oven — 60 minutes to chill and catch up on “The Crown” or, more realistically, home-school your kids while simultaneously answering work emails and entering an online grocery order. Either way, all of that can happen while dinner is cooking itself.
Brothy Baked Cranberry Beans with Fennel and Thyme Serves 6 INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, stalks removed
6 cloves garlic, peeled
6 cups seasoned vegetable broth, heated 1 pound dried cranberry beans, rinsed and soaked overnight, then drained
1 bunch thyme (about 10 sprigs)
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Place a large Dutch oven or ovenproof skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Cut the fennel bulbs into eighths by quartering them lengthwise and then cutting
each section lengthwise again. Lightly brown the fennel in the Dutch oven, about 5 minutes per side. Add the garlic and fry in the oil for 1 to 2 minutes until it just starts to turn golden.
Pour in the hot vegetable broth, cranberry beans and thyme sprigs. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with lid and bake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Serve hot.