Pastırmalı Kuru Fasulye
Pastırmalı Kuru Fasulye·(pahs-tur-mah-luh koo-roo fah-sool-yeh)
Tencere Yemekleri & Sulu Yemek (The Weeknight Pot)
In the pantheon of Anatolian comfort food, this humble bean stew is the undisputed heavyweight champion. To make it work on a Tuesday night in an Ohio suburb without sacrificing an ounce of its soul, you lean on high-quality canned beans, but you never compromise on the alchemy. The secret to a grandmother-approved pot lies entirely in aggressively caramelizing the tomato and pepper pastes, and knowing well enough to respect the cured meat by folding it in at the very end.
Before you start
Rinse the beans ruthlessly.
Thoroughly washing canned beans removes the metallic canning starch that can otherwise muddy the flavor and texture of your stew.
Strip the bastirma.
Peel off and discard the thick outer spice paste (çemen) from the edges of the cured beef; boiling it will turn your broth hopelessly bitter.
Ingredients
- canned navy beans30 oz
- yellow onion1 large
- European-style cultured butter3 tbsp
- olive oil1 tbsp
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- red pepper paste1 tbsp
- salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- cumin1/2 tsp
- Aleppo pepper1/2 tsp
- halal bastirma4 oz
- low-sodium beef broth2 cup
Method
- 01
Melt the fats and soften the onions.
In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil, then sauté the diced onion until translucent and soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 02
Caramelize the pastes aggressively.
Push the onions to the edge and drop the tomato and pepper pastes into the center of the pot. Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until they darken and release a deeply savory aroma; skipping this step leaves a raw, sour taste in the final stew.
- 03
Bloom the spices.
Stir the cumin, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper into the caramelized paste and cook for 30 seconds to wake up the oils.
- 04
Simmer the beans.
Fold in the rinsed beans, tossing them until fully coated in the ruby-red fat, then pour in enough beef broth to cover them by about an inch. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- 05
Respect the cured meat.
Exactly 5 to 10 minutes before serving, stir in the bastirma pieces to gently heat them through and release their garlicky fats without turning the delicate meat to leather.
- 06
Rest and serve.
Pull the pot off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the starchy gravy to set and thicken.
Notes
Red Pepper Paste Substitute.
If you cannot source Middle Eastern red pepper paste (biber salçası), substitute an extra tablespoon of tomato paste mixed with a teaspoon of sweet paprika.
From Cook Turkish in America.