Slow-Cooked White Beans with Pastirma
Pastırmalı Kuru Fasuliye
This was one of the very first recipes I learned from a Turkish friend, so it will always be dear to my heart. And it’s actually quite good too. Don’t worry, if you cook these beans properly, you won’t have, ah, windy problems. The most famous version of this dish is flavoured with pastirma, a strongly-flavoured cured meat available from Middle Eastern food stores. If you really can’t find it, you can substitute bacon - which is not at all halal, but acheives a similar effect for those who don’t mind
2 cups dried white beans (kuru fasuliye)
1 tbsp olive oil
4-5 strips pastırma, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
750ml chicken stock
¼ tsp hot chilli powder (pul biber)
¼ tsp dried thyme (kekik)
1 tsp salt
1. Soak the beans overnight. Drain.
2. Fry the pastirma pieces in oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
3. When pastirma is browned, add the onions and a little water, then saute until the onion is soft.
4. Add the canned tomatoes with the juice, the drained beans, chicken stock, chilli and thyme and stir well to combine.
5. Leave to simmer 40min (if you're really keen, some Turkish mamas cook their beans up to two hours or more. But 40 minutes gives quite an acceptable result).
6. Add the salt LAST, stir through well, and serve with pilav.
SERVES 6-8
TIP: When cooking beans, add half a tomato to help soften the skins and make them tender. You can always pull it out at the end and toss it.
And make sure you always add the salt last or the bean skins will toughen.