Alison Roman’s Lemony White Beans and Escarole with Anchovy and Parmesan
Alison Roman's bean salad is tangy, zesty, and sprinkled with aromatic herbs to create a dish full of depth. It is a hearty main that can be enjoyed on its own, or served alongside other dishes.
Introduction
These white beans could potentially be a whole meal themselves, especially if you’re looking for a meatless main kind of deal, but I also love them solo alongside another protein because they’re really pulling double duty as part starch, part salad – great for when you want both, but don’t feel like making both. While this dish is beautifully seasonally agnostic, I do dream about eating it with grilled whole trout (page 244 of Nothing Fancy) or lamb shoulder with garlicky tomatoes (page 206 of Nothing Fancy) and lots of chilled red or white wine in the summery, sunny outdoors – even if that just means my stoop, since I do not have a backyard.
Ingredients
| 60ml (2fl oz/¼ cup) | olive oil |
| 4 | garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
| 4 | anchovy fillets |
| 2 tbsp | salted capers, rinsed, or 1 tbsp brined |
| 2 × 425g (15oz) tins | white beans, such as cannellini, great northern or navy, drained and rinsed |
| kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 head of | escarole or chicory (endive/witlof), trimmed and torn into large pieces |
| 1 handful | mint leaves |
| 1 handful | parsley leaves, tender leaves and stems |
| hunk of | parmesan or pecorino, for serving |
| 1 | lemon, halved |
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the garlic is pale golden brown, 3–4 minutes.
Add the anchovies, capers and chilli flakes, swirling until the anchovies melt and sizzle, the capers pop slightly, and the chilli flakes toast and bleed into the oil, about 2 minutes.
Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium–low and toss to coat the beans in all the garlicky business. Let them cook until all the flavours have melded and the beans no longer taste like they came from a tin, 8–10 minutes.
Add half the escarole and toss to coat, letting it wilt ever so slightly. Transfer the beans and wilted escarole to a large serving platter or bowl, and mix in the remaining escarole. Scatter with the mint and parsley. Use a peeler or box grater to shave some parmesan over all. Squeeze the lemon over everything just before serving.
Do ahead: This side dish is really best prepared right before it’s going to be eaten – if you must do it ahead, you can do everything up until step 3 a day before. When it’s time to eat, reheat the beans and continue with step 4.
Reviews
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