Can beans be cooked in broth?

Yes you can use chicken broth instead of water to cook your brothy beans. Keep in mind the beans will not be vegetarian if you choose to do this.

Should I cover beans while they simmer?

Covering the beans while they simmer will prevent evaporation and result in a more tender bean. If you simmer them uncovered they will be firmer and the water or broth will evaporate more quickly so keep an eye and top them off with more water or broth as needed.

What type of beans should I use for brothy beans?

I prefer a smaller white bean for brothy beans that is very tender when cooked such as navy beans, cannellini or white kidney beans, cranberry or borlotti beans are all good choices but you really can use almost any bean you enjoy eating. You can even use canned beans to make brothy beans, you will just want to reduce the liquid by half and reduce the cooking time to about 1 hour until the aromatics have softened and the beans have softened a bit.

Brothy Beans with Fennel + Parmesan

Ingredients

For the Brothy Beans:

2 cups dried beans
1 parmesan cheese rind
1 bulb of fresh fennel, trimmed and halved
1 head of garlic, halved
2 shallots, halved
a few sprigs of fresh sage
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 dried bay leaf
5 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cups water

To Serve:

Sourdough toasts
lemon wedges
extra virgin olive oil
chopped fresh herbs

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Instructions

Place all brothy bean ingredients in a large pot.
Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a very low simmer. Cover but leave lid slightly ajar so some steam escapes. Cook until beans are tender. This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours or even a bit more if your beans are old. Just test a bean or two after an hour and then keep checking at 30 minute intervals. I like my beans very soft, but if you like them more firm just stop cooking them sooner. If you find too much liquid is evaporating before your beans are cooked, just add a bit more water as needed.
When beans are soft, taste broth and adjust salt to taste. Remove any of the ingredients you don't plan on eating (herb stems, shallot and garlic skins, etc) But make sure to save some of those soft, cooked garlic cloves for serving. Just squeeze them right out into the broth.
To serve: Place a piece or two of toasted sourdough in a shallow bowl, ladle over beans and broth, spritz with fresh lemon, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on a few fresh herbs if desired, and dig in.

Notes

Nope, I did not skip a step - I don't soak my beans for this. If you prefer to soak your beans, be my guest. I find in this type of recipe it makes no difference.

Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours