Beans on toast with a difference Try this recipe with cannellini

ILOVE beans on toast, but I adore these baked cannellini beans served with bitter winter greens, and sautéed with new season extra virgin olive oil, fat juicy cloves of garlic and plenty of spicy chilli, according to your taste.

Piled on some toasted sourdough bread, this transports beans on toast to another stratosphere.

Ingredients

2 x 450g tins cannellini beans or 150g dried

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 3 garlic cloves

2 fresh bay leaves

2 dried chillies or 2 thick fleshed fresh chillies

Extra virgin olive oil

2 bunches bitter greens, cavolo nero or curly kale

Sea salt andpepper

Flat leaf parsley

Method

If using dried cannellini beans: cover beans with cold water and leave overnight. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 2/150C.

Drain and rinse beans. Cover with cold water and add the bicarbonate of soda.

Boil fiercely for 10 minutes skimming off all the scum that rises to the top. Rinse in cold water. Return to the pot, cover again with about 3-4cm cold water. Add a crushed clove of garlic, unpeeled, 2 fresh bay leaves and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Do not salt the beans at this stage. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight lid, and bake in the oven until cooked, making sure they do not dry out. This should take about an hour depending on the beans.

Once cooked, season with sea salt. Prepare the greens. Tear the leaves from the coarse stalks. Discard the stalks. Chop the leaves and add to boiling salted water. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Drain and refresh in cold water. Set aside until the beans are cooked. When ready to serve, choose a large shallow frying pan.

Add 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, squashed and the crushed dry chillies. If using fresh chilies, split, remove the seeds and slice into small pieces.

Warm the oil and sauté for a few minutes to flavour the oil taking care not to burn the garlic. Use your hands to squeeze any excess water from the greens.

Toss them in the oil to finish, cooking them and coating them well with the flavoured oil.

Add the beans with enough of the remaining cooking water to keep the dish moist. If using tinned beans, rinse in cold water before adding them. Turn everything together to warm through. Check seasoning. Scatter with finely chopped flat leaf parsley and a final drizzle of oil. Serve on toasted garlic sourdough bread or as a

vegetable ‘side’.

Mary is hosting a series of cookery demos and wine tastings. Visit www.valvonacrolla.com