Kuru Fasulye (Turkish Bean Stew)

From the garden

• 1½ cups dried white beans (cannellini or navy), soaked overnight and drained · short on time? use three 15-oz cans, rinsed, and simmer the sauce 20 minutes
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 medium green frying peppers or bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

From the pantry

• ⅓ cup olive oil · the meatless version leans on the oil, so do not trim it
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes · Turkish pul biber if you have it
• 1 bay leaf
• 1½ cups long-grain rice · plain pilaf, for serving
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Simmer the soaked beans in unsalted water 50–70 minutes, until tender enough to crush against the side of the pot but still whole. Drain, saving 2 cups of the cooking water.
2. Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion and peppers 8–10 minutes, until soft and just beginning to color at the edges.
3. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and pepper flakes and fry 2 minutes, until the paste darkens and smells sweet rather than raw, then add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf.
4. Return the beans with the reserved bean water, season with salt, and simmer uncovered 25–30 minutes, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
5. Start the rice while the pot simmers. Pull out the bay leaf, taste for salt and pepper, scatter the parsley over, and serve in bowls over the plain rice.