Black Beans With Rosemary and Feta


Photo: Patricia Eddy

About

These were amazing. I know, I say that a lot. However these beans were rich and smoky and bacony. The feta cheese is perfect as a topping. It melts in and turns the whole mixture creamy with just a bit of a bite from the cheese. This dish is really filling too. I took about half of the beans to work with me and I had a filling lunch for three days. Once the beans and liquid go into the pot, you can pretty much leave the pot alone other than an occasionally stir. So this is a perfect dish to start on a Sunday afternoon while working out in the garden. Take a break from pulling weeds every 20-30 minutes, give your back a stretch and go stir the beans.

Yield:

6

Added:

December 1, 2009

Creator:

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Ingredients

3 cups of black beans
4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups of water
1 small onion
3 slices of bacon (optional)
2 inches strips of bacon rind (optional)
1 tablespoon rosemary stalk (or about 1 chopped rosemary)
Feta cheese for garnish

Preparation

1
Soak the beans in a large bowl of water overnight. You want to make sure the bowl is at least twice the volume of your dry beans as they will definitely expand.
2
Slice the strips of bacon (if you’re using them) into pieces. Cook in a large soup pot over medium heat until nearly crispy and until the fat has rendered in the pan. Do not discard the fat.
3
Dice the onions and add them to the pot, coating with the rendered bacon fat. Cook for 5 minutes.
4
Drain the beans and add to the pot, stirring to coat.
5
Add the broth, water, bacon rind (if using) and rosemary.
6
Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste the beans before turning off the heat to make sure that they meet your required level of doneness. My beans were just a tad al dente, but when I reheated them for lunches over the next few days, they cooked all the way to soft. Remove the bacon rind and discard.
7
Serve, topped with feta cheese. If you’ve left out the bacon and bacon rind, season with some smoked sea salt.

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