Butter Beans with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Source the larger butter beans, or judiones, for this, if you can. They're softer, more buttery and much creamier than the smaller one (which come in a tin). This dish works well as part of a mezze spread, or can be eaten as it is, with something like crumbled feta or olives on top.

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 500g cherry tomatoes
• 85ml olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced (150g)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp thyme leaves, roughly chopped, plus a few whole thyme leaves for garnish
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 80ml dry white wine
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 500g cooked white butter beans (we like the Navarrico jarred brand)
• salt and pepper

To serve:

• 75g thick-style Greek yoghurt
• sliced thick sourdough (or any crusty) bread (optional)
  
  

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C fan.

2. Toss the tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of oil and spread them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes, until the skins have loosened and the tomatoes are soft and have shrunk a little. Remove from the oven and transfer the tomatoes, along with all their juices, to a shallow bowl to cool.

3. Re-line the baking tray with a fresh sheet of parchment paper and reduce the oven temperature to 100°C fan.

4. Once cool enough to handle, pinch the skins off the tomatoes and place them (the skins) on the lined baking tray. Return the tray to the oven for about 45 minutes, until the skins are dry and crisp, giving them a good stir a couple of times during baking. Set the skinless tomatoes aside.

5. Put the remaining 75ml of oil into a medium saucepan and place on a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds and bay leaf and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the onions have softened but have not taken on too much colour. Add the wine, simmer for 2 minutes to reduce, then add the paprika. Cook for another minute, then add the reserved tomato flesh, along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring often so that the tomatoes break down. Add the beans and a good grind of black pepper and stir combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, just to warm through, then remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving plate and spoon the yoghurt on top, swirling it around a little. Crumble over the dried tomato skins, finish with a sprinkling of thyme leaves and serve.
   
   

Keeping Notes: Once made, the beans keep for up to 3 days in the fridge: just bring them back to room temperature before serving. The crispy tomato skins are a great thing to have around as well, to add to salads and pasta dishes. The idea for them comes from a restaurant called Bar Rochford in Canberra, Australia, where they're served with green beans. They keep for a week in a sealed jar.

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Ottolenghi COMFORT by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley

Photo credit © Jonathan Lovekin