Smoky Beans On Toast Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium. Brush the bread on both sides with the olive oil. Lay the bread in the skillet and cook, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until crisp and golden brown, about 90 seconds per side. (If your slices are large, you may have to do this in two batches.) Set the bread aside.
• Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned a little and rendered at least a tablespoon of fat, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it has softened and turned golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, thyme (if using), red pepper flakes, and, if you're using canned beans, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.
• Add the slightly wet kale in batches, using tongs to stir the leaves into the onion mixture; wait for one handful of kale to wilt and shrink before adding the next. When the last of the greens has been added, add the beans and broth. Raise the heat and let the beans and greens simmer for a minute or two, just to warm the beans and bring the flavors together. Taste and add more kosher salt if necessary.
• Serve the greens and beans over the toast in wide, shallow bowls, dusted with a little more smoked paprika.

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add the beans and enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil; cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer (bubbles just barely breaking the surface), partly cover and cook until the pot stops smelling like the aromatics and starts smelling like the beans, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary to keep the beans fully submerged. Gently stir in kosher salt and continue cooking until the beans are creamy in texture but not bursting, 10 to 45 minutes more.
• Drain the beans, reserving the tasty cooking liquid for another purpose, such as a base for soup or a vehicle for egg poaching. You can store leftover beans in their cooking liquid in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Toast the bread and then butter each piece. Spoon about 1/2 cup beans onto each piece of toast and coarsely crush with a fork. Divide the remaining whole beans among the toasts (about 1/4 cup per toast). Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.