TUSCAN STYLE SLOW COOKED BUTTER BEANS

I'm having a bit of a love affair with butter beans at the moment. Ever since I used them in my Thai Veggie patties and for my Tasty Thai Crab Cakes I've realized what an underrated gem they are. This recipe inspired by a Tuscan style of cooking uses just a few ingredients to make the beans the star of the show. By slow cooking the butter beans, they become really beautifully soft, creamy and infused with the flavors of garlic, sage and rosemary which they are simmered with. A fantastically simple recipe perfect for a lazy weekend.

This recipe calls for the use of dried butter beans. These can be picked up from large supermarkets and whole food shops. If you can't get your hands on dried butter beans you can use a drained tin of them but I wouldn't slow cook them for as much time as below. Maybe for about 1-2 otherwise the beans will be just too mushy and you'll lose that bit of bite you get from using dried beans.

Remember before attempting the recipe below that you need to soak the dried beans overnight so make sure you do that before attempting the recipe otherwise you will basically be screwed. Recipe below will make a hefty amount for 6 people. Perfect for a dinner party or as a side dish at the last few BBQ's of the summer.

Tuscan Slow Cooked Butter Beans

500g Dried Butter Beans

4 Peeled Whole Garlic Cloves

8 Fresh Sage Leaves

3 Sprigs Of Rosemary

Salt, Pepper And Olive Oil To Season

1. Tip the dried butter beans in a bowl and cover with cold water so that the water is about 1 inch above the beans. Pop in the fridge and leave overnight.
2. Drain the beans and place them in your slow cooker set to medium along with the whole garlic cloves, sage and rosemary and cover with fresh water again so the water is once again 1 inch over everything. Cover and leave for 6 hours, topping up the water if it sinks below the top of the beans.
3. Carefully drain the beans and toss them all with the salt, pepper and olive oil. Taste and add more seasoning if required.

If you have any leftover herbs left, chop them up and use them as a garnish to add a fresh herby burst to the beans. Yes, it may take a lot of time to get the beans to the table but the effort levels couldn't be any lower really. Once you've got everything in the slow cooker you just need to leave them be and let the magic happen. The beans are so soft, buttery and packed full of flavor that whilst they make a great accompaniment to many a meal, you could quite happily sit with a big bowl of these bad boys on their own and tuck into them out on the patio with a nice bottle of white wine to wash them down with. Tuscan style butter beans; they're terrific!