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Runner bean, coco blanc bean and tomato stew

by Anna Tobias
  1. Runner bean and tomato stew
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This delicious vegan celebration of summer beans is full of fresh, sweet flavours. Runner beans are gently simmered in a tomato sauce, with just-cooked coco blanc beans stirred through at the end. If you can't find coco blanc beans then other white beans (such as haricot) make a good substitute.

For more ideas on how to cook runner beans, take a look at Anna's other recipes.

First published in 2019
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Most European countries have some form of dish that involves bean in tomato sauce; it’s a delicious combination, be it with basil in Italy or with paprika in Serbia. This recipe certainly has Mediterranean roots. I’ve used coco blanc beans – these plump beans are available in July, and look like beautiful pearls when they’re cooked and have a smooth, creamy texture. Adding them to the tomato-y beans creates a more substantial (but definitely still elegant) dish. They are not the easiest ingredient to get hold of but good greengrocers will be able to order them for you. If you can’t find them, use the dried version or alternatively, use haricot or cannellini beans as in this recipe

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

SAVE RECIPE

Method

1
First cook the coco blanc beans. I will suggest two different methods, depending on whether you are using fresh or dried beans. If using fresh, preheat an oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
2
Pod the beans, place them in an ovenproof dish and cover with water by 1cm. Cut the head of garlic through the waist and add it to the dish along with the sage and chilli. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Check after an hour and fifteen minutes to see if the beans are tender. If not, then place back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until cooked
3
If using dried beans, place the soaked beans into a pot and cover with water by 2cm. Add the garlic, sage and chilli as above and bring to a simmer on the hob. Skim off any scum that gathers and cook gently. Check after an hour to see if they are cooked; simmer longer if necessary
4
In both cases, once the beans are cooked, drain and discard the sage and chilli (reserving some of the cooking liquor for later). Remove the garlic from the pot and squeeze the cloves from their skins. Mash them up and stir them back into the beans. Season with salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside
5
Prep the runner beans. If the beans are young and tender, then you can probably get away with not having to de-string them. If they’re a bit older then remove the strings by running a peeler down the length of the edge of the bean (the side that has a small ridge on it) and top and tail them
6
Once this is done, slice the runner beans at an angle into dainty ribbons, about ½ cm wide. Boil the beans in a pot of salted water for about 4 minutes until they are just cooked (but certainly not al-dente). Drain and set aside
7
Thinly slice the 3 garlic cloves and place into a saucepan wide enough to hold the beans. Add the 60ml olive oil to the pan and fry the garlic over a medium heat until it starts sticking to your wooden spoon and turns a pale golden colour. Add the runner beans, season, and braise together for 7 minutes until the beans just start to relax and collapse a bit
8
Add the tin of tomatoes and stir into the beans. Place a lid on the pan and simmer, stirring every now and then, for half an hour. The beans shouldn’t become dry but if they do then add a tablespoon of coco bean liquor to the pan. After half an hour, add the basil leaves and cook for 2 minutes
9
Using a slotted spoon, scatter the coco blanc beans into the runner beans. You want a ratio of roughly one-third coco beans to two-thirds runners (there may be too many coco beans). Wet the mixture with a few tablespoons of the bean liquor so it is saucy in consistency. Season and drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of the good olive oil
10
This dish is best eaten warm, not too hot
First published in 2019
Anna Tobias

Previously guest head chef at East London favourite P. Franco, Anna Tobias has built a career on simple but effective cookery.

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