Sea beet and beans with lemon and herbs

Spring

I live near a small coastal town called Lyme Regis. It’s famous for fossils. Mary Anning, the first person to discover a complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus, lived here. The harbour and all the boats on their moorings are protected by an old stone breakwater called the Cobb. This is also famous. Set back above the pebbly shoreline are rows of colourful wooden beach huts. These aren’t really famous, but in between the little shiplap buildings, you’ll find sea beet growing, which makes those huts pretty special to me. Sea beet is a delicious wild food and the star of this dish, but you can still make something stellar with fresh, fleshy spinach leaves instead.

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g (7oz) dried white beans, such as haricot or cannellini
100ml (3½fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 large onion, very finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
pared zest of 1 small lemon
3–4 lemon thyme or ordinary thyme sprigs
a pinch of chilli flakes
3 bay leaves
1.5 litres (52fl oz) warm vegetable or chicken stock, plus extra if needed
a colander of young sea beet or spinach leaves
a decent handful of mint, leaves picked
a small handful of chives, finely sliced
a handful of lovage or flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
a handful of fennel tops or dill, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
thick slices of good country bread, to serve

Method

Soak the beans in a bowl of water for 12 hours or overnight. Soaking them means they’ll cook much more quickly.

Set a large, heavy-based saucepan over a hot fire and add a couple of tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil. When it’s hot, add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, thyme sprigs, chilli flakes and bay leaves and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook the onions and garlic gently in the oil, stirring regularly. Don’t let them catch on the base of the pan. If they begin to, you need to adjust the heat. When everything is soft and smelling sweet, drain the beans and add them to the pan. Stir well.

Add enough warm stock to cover the beans, then bring the liquid up to a simmer. As the stock begins to reduce, you need to add some more – it’s a bit like making a risotto, but only a bit. Keep adding the stock as the beans take it up. By the time you’ve added it all, they should be tender. If not, add a bit more stock until the beans are done to your liking.

Strip the coarser stems away from the sea beet or spinach leaves, and if the leaves are big, run a knife over them once or twice. Add the leaves to the pan and stir. Place a lid on if you have one, and let the greens cook in the stock for 4–5 minutes, then turn the heat down a little and let everything settle.

Chop half the mint leaves and add them to the beans, along with the chives, lovage or parsley and the fennel tops or dill. Stir in the remaining extra-virgin olive oil and season everything really well with salt and pepper. Ladle the beans into bowls and serve with a little more extra-virgin olive oil and some good bread.

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