Tuscan Bean Stew

Whip up your own cozy Italian restaurant-style stew in the comfort of your kitchen! This heartwarming dish features potatoes, ham hock, carrots, kale, and dried beans, making it a perfect companion for chilly winter evenings. It’s like bringing a touch of gourmet dining right to your own dinner table. Makes about a generous
8 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups dried butter, lima, navy or cannellini beans (if time allows, soak beans for a few hours or overnight)
2 heads garlic, with the last 2cm of the pointy end cut off to expose all cloves
1 lemon, peeled just below the yellow layer with a veggie peeler into wide slices
6 – 8 Parmigiano (or pecorino, or Grana Padano or other hard cheese) rinds, or ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese + ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano for finishing
1 smoked ham hock, ideally cut in half by your butcher or 1 smoked turkey leg—available at many grocery stores (both optional)
4 sprigs of rosemary or thyme tied up with a bit of kitchen string or a teaspoon of rosemary or thyme
1 litre chicken stock
2 large potatoes or a few smaller ones (older potatoes are fine), diced into 2cm cubes
3 large carrots (older carrots are fine), sliced into 1cm-thick slices
1 – 2 large bunches kale or Swiss chard, and/or beet tops, radish tops, turnip tops, fennel tops, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon harissa (a Tunisian chilli and spice paste), or 1 teaspoon tabasco or other hot sauce, or ½ teaspoon chilli pepper flakes (all optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for finishing
1 loaf of rustic bread (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. To a large pasta pot, add beans, garlic, lemon peels, cheese rinds (only if you are using rinds; the grated cheese substitute will be added later), ham hock, herbs, chicken stock and 2 litres water (enough to cover all the ingredients plus an extra 4cm or so).
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 2 hours. If necessary, add more water so that all ingredients remain fully covered.
3. Add potatoes and carrots and continue to simmer for 30 more minutes, or until potatoes are fully cooked, and beans are fully cooked and soft to the bite. Add more water if necessary.
4. As the potato and carrot finish cooking, remove the ham hock and the 2 garlic bulbs and let cool for a few minutes. Separate the ham meat from the bone, fat and gristle.
5. Return ham bits to the pot along with the greens and harissa. Squeeze the garlic cloves into the pot. If you are using grated cheese instead of the rinds, add it now. Simmer for 10 more minutes or until the greens are wilted. If you are serving bread, this is a good time to heat it in the oven or toast it.
6. Fish out the cheesecloth bundle or loose cheese rinds (that’s why you counted them!) and the bundle of herbs. Squeeze the peeled lemon and add the juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Ladle stew into bowls and finish with a sprinkle of Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with a thick, toasted slice of bread.
8. Leftovers freeze well.

TIP: If you are using cheese rinds, wrap them in cheesecloth or count ’em.

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