Beans braised in tomato and garlic with sage oil

SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 35 MINS

“If you’re lucky enough to have your own garden to pick and cook from, that’s great,” says Guy Jeffreys. “If not, the next best thing is to use produce from your local farmers’ market.” He uses a mixture of French beans, butter (yellow) beans, Italian (Roman) beans, snake beans and other heirloom varieties such as poverello bianco and rattlesnake beans, if available. Choose what’s best.

1 kg beans of various varieties, washed and trimmed

2 fresh bay leaves

5 large tomatoes, cored

and cut in quarters

3 garlic cloves, smashed

100 ml olive oil

Crusty bread, to serve SAGE OIL

1 small garlic clove

3 sprigs sage, leaves picked

Juice of 1 lemon

50 ml olive oil

1 Bring beans, bay leaves and 150ml water to the boil in a casserole over high heat. Stir, then reduce heat to very low and cover three-quarters of pan with a lid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft but still holding their shape (30 minutes). Add tomatoes and garlic and squash on the inside of casserole with a spoon, stir through to thicken sauce and season to taste. If liquid hasn’t reduced, remove beans with a slotted spoon and boil over high heat until thick (5 minutes), then return beans to pan (discard bay leaves).

2 Meanwhile, for sage oil, pound garlic with a mortar and pestle. Add sage leaves, salt and pepper and pound to a paste. Add lemon juice, then oil, and stir to combine. Season to taste.

3 Drizzle beans with sage oil and serve with crusty bread.