White Beans and Asparagus with Charred Lemon

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White Beans and Asparagus with Charred Lemon

These velvety, vegan beans get a lift from lemon, but they also hold a smoky secret. Aromatics are often sweated in fat to bring out their sweetness, but crank the heat and char them instead for, as Tejal Rao wrote, “serious, almost meatlike depth of flavor.” This is a common technique in pho, black-eyed peas and other long simmers, but it also develops flavor in quicker dishes. After searing lemon wedges, their blackened bits scatter throughout beans, asparagus and coconut milk, creating a creamy bowl that’s subtly smoky and comforting. When asparagus isn’t in season, replace it with a dark, leafy green like kale or chard. Serve solo, or with rice.

Rating

Ingredients

  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1large or 2 small lemons, quartered lengthwise and seeds removed
  • 1(14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
  • 3cups cooked, rinsed white beans (homemade or two 15-ounce cans)
  • 1bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), tough ends trimmed, stalks cut into 1-inch lengths
  • Salt
  • Handful of cilantro or basil leaves, for serving
Set base servings to enable scaling:

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the lemon wedges, peel-side down, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes to release their oils. Flip onto cut sides and cook until the flesh is browned and charred in spots, 3 to 6 minutes. Flip onto the other cut sides and repeat.

Remove the lemon wedges, pour in the coconut milk and scrape to release all the charred bits stuck to the skillet. Stir in the beans and asparagus, season well with salt, and simmer until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 5 to 8 minutes. At first, the mixture might look thick, but there’s no need to add more liquid; the asparagus will release liquid as it cooks.

Remove from heat and squeeze in the lemon. Season to taste with salt and serve topped with herbs.

Nutrition

Info
Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 33 gramsCalories: 817Saturated Fat: 21 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 10 gramsSodium: 908 milligramsSugar: 6 gramsFiber: 26 gramsCarbohydrate: 100 gramsProtein: 40 grams

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024204-white-beans-and-asparagus-with-charred-lemon