Garlic and white bean stew with gremolata

• servings: 4
• active time: 15
• total time: 55

Ingredients

•20 garlic cloves (about 2 bulbs), unpeeled

•300ml boiling water

•25g salted butter

•2 celery sticks, finely sliced

•2 fresh thyme sprigs

•200ml dry white wine

•400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

•400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed

•2 fresh bay leaves

•250g fresh vegetable stock

•75g baby spinach

•3 tbsp crème fraîche

For the gremolata (see know-how)

•2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

•1 garlic clove, crushed

•Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

Directions

Put the garlic cloves in a medium bowl with their papery skins still on. Pour over the boiling water and leave for 2 minutes (or see food team’s tip). Remove the garlic, reserving the water for later, then, as soon as the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove the skins and cut each clove in half lengthways.

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Add the garlic, celery and thyme and cook gently for 3-4 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture colour. Pour over the wine and increase the heat, allowing the liquid to bubble and reduce by half.

Add the beans, bay leaves, stock and reserved garlic water to the pan and stir. Reduce the heat to low and leave the stew to bubble gently for 30 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Use a potato masher to gently mash some of the mixture, making the stew a little thicker.

Meanwhile make the gremolata by combining the chopped parsley, crushed garlic and lemon zest and juice in a small bowl.

Stir the spinach through the stew and allow the leaves to wilt. Remove the stew from the heat, stir through the crème fraîche and season well. Serve in warmed bowls with the gremolata spooned generously over the top.