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1 lb white beans, soaked overnight with water to cover and 1 tablespoon of salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered (keep the root intact)

2 shallots, peeled and quartered (keep the root intact)

1 stick celery, chopped into 3-4 big pieces

1 bay leaf

5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon thyme leaves, minced

1 tablespoon oregano leaves, minced

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground chillies or chili flakes

12 cups vegetable stock ((see notes))

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 ½ tablespoons light miso

Lemon juice, to taste ((I like 1-2 tablespoons))

Handful of fresh dill or parsley, chopped

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1. I soak my beans overnight in lots of warm water with 1 tablespoon of salt dissolved in there! I learned this trick from Serious Eats. When you’re ready to cook the beans, drain and rinse them. Set aside.

2. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, pour in the oil and swirl it around. Place the quartered onions, shallots, and celery pieces into the pot. Let them brown lightly on one side and then stir/flip the pieces over. Keep cooking until all sides have a bit of a golden edge. This process should take about 10 minutes.

3. Add the bay leaf, garlic, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, and chillies. Stir and sauté until very aromatic, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the drained beans and stir. Then, add 6 cups of vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper (being mindful of the salty miso we'll add at the end) and stir. Place the lid on top, slightly askew to vent a bit. Bring the beans to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.

5. Simmer the beans for about 1 ½ hours, checking in on them every 30 minutes or so. If the level of vegetable stock is getting low, just add more by the cup. Once your beans are super tender and silky, they’re good to go. I like to taste 3-5 beans just to make sure that the whole batch is good. The batch I cooked here simmered for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

6. Fish out the big pieces of celery, bay leaf, and as much of the onion/shallots as you like (I leave most of them).

7. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the miso and a couple ladlefuls of the hot stock from the pot. Give the mixture a whisk to dissolve the miso and then pour that mixture into the pot. Stir. Check the beans for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add lemon juice to taste and stir. Garnish the beans with the chopped dill/parsley.

8. Serve the brothy beans hot with crusty bread and extra black pepper on top.

Notes from Janice Zientek Dorn on the Rancho Gordo Bean Club FG Group:

One bean, one way. Recipe used one pound of coco beans. I made my own veggie broth in the instant pot. Beans were brined and soaked overnight as the recipe suggests. The only other modifications were that I did not use oil or salt. Instead of lemon juice I used one slice of preserved lemons that I made. Next time I will use two slices to make it a little more lemony. The additional salt came from the preserved lemons and the miso which was just enough for our tastes.