Fast food, episode II

When I need to cook something quick for everyone, I usually reach for the pasta. It only takes about 20 minutes for get the water on and boiled and the pasta cooked, which is plenty of time to make an easy tomato- or butter-based sauce. But it's nice to have options for a fast meal other than pasta (or Bodo's, even if Brad doesn't think so), and this is one Mom can eat, too. In fact, Mom said she'd happily eat this a few days a week. It doesn't take any longer than 20 minutes to make and uses only ingredients you're likely to have on hand, if you stock cannellini beans in the pantry and grow your own parsley. Have this with a salad and it'll be an interesting evening!

White Bean Stew with Garlic and Parsley

Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (1992) by Marcella Hazan

This has the consistency of a thick stew. If you want it thinner, just add more broth or water.

½ cup (105 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (~1 large or 2 medium cloves)
3 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini (preferably Goya) or other white beans, drained and rinsed; or 6 cups cooked beans from 2 cups dried white beans
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable broth, homemade meat broth, or water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)

    1. Put the oil and garlic in a saucier or large saucepan and place the pan over medium heat. Cook just until the garlic is fragrant and colored a very pale gold. Watch it carefully—don’t let the garlic brown or burn!
    2. Add the beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes.
    3. Remove about ½ cup of beans and puree them through a food mill back into the pan. Or you can use a blender (a stick blender with a blending cup works well here), loosening things up with some of the broth. Add the pureed beans and all of the broth to the pan, and simmer, uncovered, for another 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
    4. Place the bread slices, if using, in the bottom of individual soup bowls. Ladle the stew over the bread and serve promptly. Serves 4.