Ingredients:
Canary beans, also called Peruvian beans, are mild beans that cook up with a smooth, buttery taste you can eat as a simple bowl of beans and rice or use in recipes to create delicious tasting meals. In this easy Peruvian beans recipe, the beans are cooked with onions, garlic, and aji amarillo paste which give the beans a bit of spicy, fruity flavor. I have also found they work well in a traditional Tuscan soup which I present here.
Ingredients:
▢ 1 can (30 ounces) of Peruvian or Canary White Beans
▢ Small bunch of Swiss Chard
▢ 4 cups vegetable broth
▢ 1 onion diced
▢ 1 leek diced
▢ 2 carrots grated
▢ 2 celery sticks diced
▢ 4 garlic cloves diced
▢ 1 potato diced into cubes
▢ 1 can crushed tomatoes
▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
▢ 1 bay leaf
▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
For the Croutons:
▢ 4.5 oz bread of choice (Stale or day-old bread is perfect)
▢ 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian herbs
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Saute diced onion, carrots and celery in a large pot with olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Once onions are translucent, add garlic and saute for another minute
Add a can of peeled tomatoes (including the juice) and roughly squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add diced potato, vegetable broth, herbs and season well. Place the lid on and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, chop bread into cubes, spray with olive oil, season and bake in the oven or air fryer until golden to make the croutons. I have a convection oven in my microwave.
Add chopped kale leaves to the pot (removing the tough middle stem bits). Simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes. To serve, remove the bay leaf then garnish with the croutons and parmesan cheese.
Instant Pot:
1/2 pound of dried Canary White Beans
4 cups of chicken stock
1-2 pounds of cubed rump roast, mutton leg, goat or pork
▢ Small bunch of Swiss Chard
▢ 4 cups vegetable broth
▢ 1 onion diced
▢ 1 leek diced
▢ 2 carrots diced
▢ 2 celery sticks diced
▢ 4 garlic cloves diced
▢ 1 potato diced into cubes
▢ 1 can crushed tomatoes
▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
▢ 1 bay leaf
▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
Sauté half of the onion. Add dried beans, stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, herbs and meat to instant pot and cook for 50 minutes. Quick release the pressure and add the remaining ingredients and cook for 10 more minutes. Release pressure and enjoy with croutons and Parmesan.
- Quick release the pressure for beans. The sudden drop in pressure throws the water into a boil, which roughs up the beans, releasing starch and thickening the pot liquid.
- Salt your bean water! “Salt toughens beans” is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
- If your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any “floaters” at the top of the pot, give the beans a stir, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes. Older beans take longer to cook, and if the beans have been sitting in the shelf at your store for a while, they may need extra time.
I personally like a little aji amarillo paste with this dish. It adds a fruity mild spice.
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