Chef Johns Beans And Greens Recipes

SLOW-COOKED GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Place saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir bacon in the hot pan until almost crisp, about 6 minutes. Add onion; cook until browned bits of food on the bottom of the pan have dissolved in the onion's juices and onion is soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato sauce. Cook until garlic has softened, about 1 more minute.
• Place green beans into a skillet and pour in chicken broth. Raise heat to high, add salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to beans, and bring to a simmer. Beans will begin to soften. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add more broth or water if mixture seems dry.
• Adjust levels of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook until beans are soft and tender, about 30 more minutes. Transfer beans and some of the pan juices to a deep serving platter.

CHEF JOHN'S RED BEANS AND RICE

Steps:

• Place beans in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir sausage in hot oil until oils slightly release from sausage and edges brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir onion, celery, and poblano pepper into sausage; cook and stir until vegetables soften and start to turn translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir garlic into sausage mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir red beans, chicken broth, ham hock, bay leaves, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce into the sausage mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and continue simmering until beans are soft, meat is tender, and desired consistency is reached, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Season with salt.
• Spoon rice into bowls, ladle red beans mixture over rice, and top with green onion.

CHEF JOHN'S PORK AND BEANS AND GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grind salt, black pepper, cumin, rosemary, fennel, red pepper flakes, and oregano to a coarse powder using a mortar and pestle. Add 2 cloves garlic and mash to a paste. Mix in brown sugar, wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon olive oil; stir until paste is thoroughly combined.
• Place pork chunks into a large roasting pan and spoon paste over meat; toss until meat coated.
• Bake pork in the preheated oven for 1 hour; flip pork chunks and continue cooking until outside of meat has a browned crust, about 30 more minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a skillet, place over medium heat, and add 2 sliced cloves of garlic; cook until garlic begins to sizzle, 1 minute. Stir beans into skillet and season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste; cook and stir until beans are heated through and coated with oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in lemon juice and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Mix arugula leaves into bean mixture and cook just until leaves are bright green, about 1 minute. Turn off heat and let mixture stand to allow arugula to wilt, about 1 more minute.
• Place wilted arugula into the bottom of a serving bowl and top with beans and a chunk of caramelized pork; drizzle juices over meat to serve.

CHEF JOHN'S BOSTON BAKED BEANS

Steps:

• Soak navy beans overnight in a large bowl with enough water by several inches. Drain and place beans into a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with 6 cups water, baking soda, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, saving bean-cooking liquid.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Transfer beans into clean Dutch oven and stir bacon, onion, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper into beans. Pour enough of the hot reserved bean liquid in to cover beans; stir.
• Cover Dutch oven and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Check liquid level and add more of the reserved bean liquid to bring liquid up to cover beans. Return to oven and continue baking until beans are tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour.
• Raise oven heat to 350; bake beans uncovered in oven until top develops a flavorful crust, 20 to 30 more minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S BEANS AND GREENS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until bubbling and sizzling, about 20 seconds. Pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes.
• Stir in beans; bring to a boil and cook until you can see the tops of the beans just below the surface of the liquid, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in oregano, lemon zest, and anchovy filet. Simmer for 3 minutes.
• Place escarole in bean mixture; reduce heat to low and stir until escarole wilts, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; garnish with red pepper flakes and extra virgin olive oil.