White bean and silverbeet hotpot

Tam West

These baked beans are tasty and comforting on a cold wet weeknight, when you want to sit down with a hot bowl of goodness ASAP. Everything is done in one pan in a sequence that brings out the best of each ingredient. The garlic and pepper sizzle in olive oil and infuse it with their flavour, ready to receive the tomatoes which soften and break apart, their juices becoming the first stage of the sauce. The celery gets a little blast of heat to tenderise it then the lovely thick juice from the beans wraps around everything and completes the sauce. Adding the silverbeet, or other green veges like kale or bok choy, at the end allows them to gently steam and retain their goodness. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes you can always use half a can of tinned ones. Any fresh herbs you have available can join the fun at the last minute; grab whatever’s in the garden or fridge. This is quick goodness — you can be sitting down to enjoy it in under 10 minutes.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Olive oil
6 cloves	Garlic, chopped
½ tsp	Freshly ground black pepper
200 g	Tomatoes, small and sweet, halved
½ tsp	Salt
2 sticks	Celery, cut on diagonal
1 can	Cannellini beans, with juice (Main)
3 leaves	Silverbeet, stalks removed, or kale or bok choy (Main)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy pan. Add garlic and pepper and sizzle for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt then cook on high for 2 minutes until edges soften.
2. Add celery and cook another 2 minutes, then tip in the beans with their juice. Cook another 2 minutes then top with chopped silverbeet. Cover and turn down heat, give it another 3 or 4 minutes to allow the silverbeet to soften. Stir together before serving in a bowl.