Dill Pickle Braised Beans (3 ways)

Let's just get down to business with a knock-out bean recipe that will make 3 meals you won't get sick of, because, I'm a giver.

If you’ve gotten this far down the page, you and I both know why you’re here.

To get a recipe you can make for your next meal!

That’s why I’m here too, I want to give that to you. If you know me you know that I’m very humble (I think I am, i hope?), but I’ll even admit I make some kick ass meals for myself at home. It’s mostly for pure self joy - why not make your meals as yummy and pretty as they can possibly be?! But if you’re not in the room for me to feed you I want to share it with you so you can try it too! So here we are. Because that’s my love language.

1. My motivations are self-serving.

In all honesty I would love to quit my day job running a sandwich shop and catering company and become a food stylist. Not right now, but one day ya know? Heck, I’d love to have my own cookbook! I figured rather than watching my recipes disappear in my Instagram stories, I’ll catalogue them and maybe it will turn into something bigger. After all, my dream of becoming a chef all started with the cute little idea to start a food blog (a now very embarrassing one that you will never ever see) some 16 years ago.

2. So let’s get down to brass tax : The Recipe.

I’ve definitely fallen onto the braised bean wagon. I made a pot a few months ago to see what all the fuss is about, and the amount of flavour the beans soaked up was so intoxicating and comforting that it opened up a sea of endless flavour options for me. It also doesn’t hurt that I use fresh dried white beans from the farmers market. Dried beans can be freshly dried! Which helps them cook faster and in my mind makes them creamier.

In these recipes, the creamy heartiness of the beans naturally pairs with crunchy and salty fermented dill pickles. A pickle that is very easy on the palate because it uses a salt brine rather than vinegar to preserve. Adding herbs, a protein, something creamy - like a giant ball of burrata - and some crusty bread are all really necessary here.

I’m going to lay out a bunch of recipes below; the initial braising of the beans, which will make a large pot that you can turn into multiple meals. The first meal is the most luxurious - Dill Pickle Beans with Burrata. The second is perfect for a mid-week meal - Dill Pickle Beans with Salmon & Yogurt. The third being a kinda clean-out-your-fridge solution - Dill Pickle Beans Upside Down Salad (you’ll see).

• The braise: Yields 4-6 servings
  4 cups soaked white beans (approx 1 cup dry)
  1 head of garlic, cloves removed and crushed
  1 onion, skin removed and quartered
  2 inches ginger, sliced (skin can stay on)
  1 tetra pack of chicken stock (956ml)
  2 cups fermented pickle juice (vinegar pickles won’t work here)
  1 lemon, halved
  3 glugs *extra virgin olive oil (approx 1/2 cup)

  *You’ll want to splurge a bit on this, a nice fruity olive oil will change everything in this recipe and all future recipes that call for EVOO.
  

• Dill Pickle Beans: Yields 1-2 servings
  2 cups braised beans (as above)
  1 large (or 2 medium) fermented dill pickles, diced
  1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
  12 turns of course ground black pepper
  2 tbsp unsalted butter
  1/2 cup fresh dill, divided
  1 tsp dill seed

  1 tsp fennel seed
  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  Kosher salt

• Dill Pickle Beans with Burrata: 1-2 servings
  2 cups dill pickle beans (as above)
  1 ball of burrata
  Seeded sourdough bread (or any sourdough but seeded adds extra oomph)
  Extra virgin olive oil
  

• Dill Pickle Beans with Salmon: 1-2 servings
  2 cups dill pickle beans (as above)
  1 salmon fillet, pan-seared
  1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  Seeded sourdough bread (or any sourdough but seeded adds extra oomph)
  Extra virgin olive oil
  

• Dill Pickle Beans Upside Down Salad: 1 serving
  2 tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
  1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  1/3 cup flaked salmon (optional)

  1/4 cup fermented dill pickles, diced
  1/2 cup dill pickle beans + liquid, cooled in the fridge
  1/2 Persian cucumber, diced
  5 snap peas, sliced
  1/2 cup cooked barley (or grain of choice)
  1/4 tsp kosher salt
  1/2 cup well packed leafy greens or lettuce of choice
  1 tbsp lemon juice
  Extra virgin olive oil

3. Let’s begin the braise.

Prep your veg - peel and crush the garlic cloves, peel & quarter the onion, and slice up the ginger. Add all of the ingredients to a dutch oven or large pot that hold 6-8 litres, and cover. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Once you see it bubbling, remove the lid, adjust the heat to low and continue to simmer for 1-2 hours uncovered. The liquid should reduce to about half. However, as everyones stove top is different, keep an eye on it. It’s ready when the liquid is just covering the beans and the liquid looks creamy.

Taste the beans for softness, they should be very tender. If you’re using older dried beans (such as from a conventional grocery store), it may take longer for them to cook. If the liquid reduces to half and the beans aren’t cooked, cover them and add more liquid if needed.

At this point you can continue on to the next recipe or let the pot cool and store in the fridge until ready to use. These will last up to one week in the fridge.

A note about the vegetable scraps in the beans. I like to keep the onion and garlic pieces to incorporate into the meals. However, you can discard the ginger and lemon once the beans have cooled.

Above: The braised beans - this is the ideal consistency!

4. Dinner is 15 minutes away!

Whichever recipe version you’re making, pull out the burrata and salmon to room temperature.

I’m not going to insist you cook your fish a specific way, but if you’re looking for guidance I like to pan sear mine. Season both sides with kosher salt and let sit uncovered at room temp for 15 minutes (this will prevent it from sticking to the pan). Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of sunflower oil. Once it just begins to smoke, add the salmon skin side down and let it sear from 5-6 minutes, or until the skin is very crispy and will easily flip. Cook on the other side for 6 more minutes or until desired doneness.

Now you’re going to prepare the oily toasted seeds that will top the beans. In a mini pan or pot add 1/4 cup EVOO, 1 teaspoon each of dill and fennel seeds, and a pinch of kosher salt. Heat over low-medium heat until toasty and fragrant (3-5 minutes). Don’t let them burn! Set aside.

Next get your crusty olive oil toasted sourdough crispin’. In a cast iron or non-stick pan, add 4 tbsp of EVOO followed by 2 slices of sourdough bread over medium-high heat. I like to weigh the bread down with another pan so bread to pan contact is increased and gets extra crisp to all corners! Toast for approx 4 minutes until deep dark brown, flip, add more olive oil and toast for 3-4 more minutes depending how hot your stove is. Keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.

Add 2 cups of the braised beans to a medium-sized sauce pan and simmer over low-medium heat - there’s not much reducing that needs to happen here just flavouring and heating, so keep an eye on it. Add the diced up pickles, Aleppo and black pepper, and butter. Constantly stir with a spoon until the butter melts and emulsifies with the braising liquid. Once the beans have slightly thickened and look creamy, turn off the heat and add 1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill.

5. Get out your cutest plate(s)!

Whether you’re digging into this alone or sharing it’s more fun serving from one big plate. Add the dilly beans to the serving plate and depending which recipe you’re following, top with the following ingredients:

Dill Pickle Beans with Burrata
Place the burrata on top of the beans, I like to tear it in half so the filling oozes into the beans. Spoon the toasted seeds and the oil over the entire plate. Sprinkle with the remaining fresh dill and plop the toasted sourdough on the side.

Dill Pickle Beans with Salmon
Place the salmon on top of the beans, follow by a dollop of the yogurt. Spoon the toasted seeds and the oil over the entire plate. Sprinkle with the remaining fresh dill and plop the toasted sourdough on the side.

Dill Pickle Beans Upside Down Salad
If you have any dilly beans left (how could you!?) this is how to use them AND anything else in your fridge that needs to go. My ingredient list is just a guideline, feel free to substitute with other veggies, grains or greens in your fridge. However you MUST follow the following steps (it’s fun).

Find a tall deli container or any container that is tall and narrow. You’re going to stack this salad in the container then flip it upside down on a plate when you’re ready to eat it (I take it to work and voila! lunch is ready). Follow the exact order of listed ingredients in the previous section, or whatever you’re substituting just start with seeds, then cheese, protein (optional), the beans, veggies, grains then greens. Lastly drizzle with EVOO and lemon juice.

When you’re ready to plate, pop the lid off your container, invert your plate over top of it, confidently and swiftly flip the container upside down with a firm hold so that the plate ends up right side up on the counter. Slowly lift up the container and let the ingredients naturally fall. Easy, breezy, beautiful - watch my video below!

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