Melissa Hemsley’s Quick Leeky Beans
Melissa Hemsley's quick, budget-friendly leeky beans on toast will transform a humble tin of beans into something utterly delicious in just twenty minutes.
Introduction
A humble tin of cooked beans is speedily transformed into a very delicious hearty dish that I eat as often for brunch as for dinner. When leeks are in season, I get so many in my weekly veg box and this is one of my go-to ways to enjoy them. You’ve probably got most of these ingredients in your cupboard or fridge already. The addition of artichokes and a sprinkling of cheese makes this extra special.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | ghee or extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | medium leek, finely sliced |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 400g tin of | white beans (such as butter beans), drained and rinsed |
| juice and grated zest of ¼ lemon | |
| 1 handful of | artichoke hearts (from a jar), roughly chopped |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| To serve: | |
| 1 small handful of | fresh parsley or basil, roughly chopped |
| 1 handful of | grated Parmesan, Pecorino or Cheddar |
| A drizzle of | extra-virgin olive oil |
Method
In a medium frying pan, heat the ghee and fry the leek on a low–medium heat for 6 minutes, stirring from time to time and adding the garlic to cook during the final 2 minutes.
Add the beans, a good pinch of salt and pepper and fry for 3 minutes, adding a splash of water if needed.
Stir in the artichokes and lemon juice and zest and cook for a final minute, then taste for seasoning and scatter with the fresh herbs and the grated cheese and drizzle over a little olive oil.
Variation: Turn this into ‘braised leek soup’ by adding 300ml veg stock.
Tip: Save the darker green leaves of the leeks to use in casseroles, stocks or soups – wash the leeks really well, as they pick up a lot of dirt.
