Stewy Beans and Kale Recipe

September 27, 2024By American Vinegar Works

Stewy Beans and Kale

Name: Stewy Beans and Kale
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4–6 People
Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Ingredients: 1 lb Primary Beans dried Cranberry beans; Aromatic ideas: Rosemary, shallot, garlic cloves, Parm rind; 1⁄4 cup AVW California extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for; 1 Spanish onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp chili flakes, plus more for serving; 3 cups chicken stock, ideally homemade; 3 tbsp American Vinegar Works’ Ultimate Red Wine Vinegar, plus more for serving; 2 small bunches or 1 large bunch washed kale (any kind), stems discarded, leaves torn into bite size pieces (about 8 packed cups total)

A perfect comfort dish for fall with an Italian influence.

This bean recipe, like many others, is also a fantastic dish to cook on weekends or make ahead to enjoy during the week when life gets busy. And, if you haven’t yet tried it, it is also a great way to see how a splash or two of vinegar will transform your stews and soups.

This recipe and recipe photographs come to us from our friends at Primary Beans, a sister-owned company dedicated to showing home cooks just how accessible, delicious, and varied dried beans can be.

This recipe features our Ultimate Red Wine Vinegar and California Organic Olive Oil.

Which vinegar to use, and why

A pot of beans tastes finished the moment acid goes in. Add red wine vinegar off the heat and taste the difference immediately. We use Ultimate Red Wine Vinegar here. It is slow-fermented and aged in oak at our mill in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is why it seasons the dish rather than just souring it.

Make it ahead and keep it

Better the next day. Add a little more vinegar when you reheat, since the first lot settles in.

What to cook next

Try Sage & Parmesan Giant Beans, or browse all our vinegar recipes. If you have not cooked with craft vinegar before, a mini bottle sampler set lets you taste across the range before committing to a full-size bottle. Orders over $85 ship free within the contiguous US.

Stewy Beans and Kale

American Vinegar Works

Servings

4–6 People

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

1 hours

Cuisine

Italian-Inspired

Ingredients

1 lb Primary Beans dried Cranberry beans
Aromatic ideas: Rosemary, shallot, garlic cloves, Parm rind
1⁄4 cup AVW California extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chili flakes, plus more for serving
3 cups chicken stock, ideally homemade
3 tbsp American Vinegar Works’ Ultimate Red Wine Vinegar, plus more for serving
2 small bunches or 1 large bunch washed kale (any kind), stems discarded, leaves torn into bite size pieces (about 8 packed cups total)

Directions

Visually inspect dried beans and rinse.
Choose you cooking method: You can cook beans using a pressure cooker (my preferred method) or more slowly in a normal pot. If using a pressure cooker these beans should cook in about 40 minutes if you are starting from dried, unsoaked beans. Soaked beans will be faster. If you are cooking in a traditional pot expect 2 to 3 hours of low and slow cooking in a covered or partially covered pot.
Place beans in your cooking method of choice, add water so that you have about 2 inches of water over the beans, add the aromatics and salt generously. Cook beans until tender and let beans sit in their broth until ready for next step.
Place a second, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. When it shimmers, add onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until they soften and begin to turn translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add tomato paste and chili flakes, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring frequently, until the paste thickens and caramelizes, about 3 minutes, taking care not to let it burn. Add vinegar and quickly deglaze the pan, then add the stock before all the vinegar has evaporated.
Add beans with a little of their broth (no more than 1 cup) to the onion-garlic mixture and stir to combine. Add kale to the top and bring to a simmer (raising heat if necessary).
Cover, and cook for 2 minutes until kale wilts. Fold in kale and simmer on very low until kale is very tender and the stew reaches desired thickness, about 15-20 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide into bowls and serve with more vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flakes.