Kvasolia z Hrybamy (квасоля з грибами, beans with mushrooms)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A wide heavy pot
• •A wide pan for the zasmazhka
• •A fine sieve or ladle for pouring mushroom liquor
• •A wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the beans

   Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and leave them overnight. They should swell, wrinkle first, then smooth out again, like they've remembered themselves. Drain them before cooking.

   Forgot to soak? Cook them anyway, but give them more time and don't pretend the pot can be hurried. Beans know when you're impatient.
2. 2

   Wake the mushrooms

   Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with the hot water. Let them soften until the water turns dark and smells deep, woodsy, almost smoky. Lift the mushrooms out, chop them, and let the soaking liquor settle so the grit stays at the bottom.

3. 3

   Cook the beans

   Put the drained beans in a wide pot with the bay leaf, the chopped soaked mushrooms, and enough clean mushroom liquor plus water to cover them by two fingers. Bring to a lively boil, then lower until the pot gives slow, thick bubbles at the edge. Cook until the beans are tender enough to squash against the side of the pot but not collapsing.

4. 4

   Build the zasmazhka

   Warm the sunflower oil in a wide pan and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Let them soften slowly until they turn glassy and sweet, then add the carrot and cook until the oil glows orange. Stir in the garlic, paprika, and fresh mushrooms, and keep cooking until the mushrooms give up their water, then take it back, and the smell changes from raw cellar to roasted nuts.

   This is the step that decides the dish. The zasmazhka goes in at the end so its sweetness sits brightly on the bean broth instead of flattening into it.
5. 5

   Bring together

   When the beans are tender, salt them properly and spoon in the zasmazhka. Stir gently so some beans break and thicken the pot while most stay whole. The sauce should move slowly around the spoon, not splash like soup.

6. 6

   Temper the smetana

   In a small bowl, stir the smetana with the flour and a spoonful of hot mushroomy broth until smooth. Add this back to the pot over low heat, stirring as it loosens into a pale, glossy sauce. Don't let it boil hard after the smetana goes in, or it may split and sulk.

7. 7

   Finish with dill

   Taste for salt and black pepper, then fold in most of the dill. Let the pot sit off the heat until it thickens a little and the beans drink the sauce. Serve with more dill on top and, if you have them, sharp pickles beside it.

Chef Tips

• •Use dried mushrooms even if you have beautiful fresh ones. Fresh mushrooms give texture, but dried ones give the dark broth that makes the dish think.
• •If you're making this for a meatless holiday table, leave out the smetana and flour, then finish with a little extra sunflower oil. It will be leaner, sharper, and still completely at home.
• •Salt the beans after they begin to soften. Early salt won't ruin them, despite the old panic, but late seasoning lets you judge the mushroom liquor properly.
• •Leftovers thicken overnight. Loosen them with a splash of water, mushroom broth, or smetana, depending how rich you want the second day to be.

Advance Preparation

• •Soak the beans overnight, 8 to 12 hours, so they cook evenly and keep their skins.
• •The finished beans keep 4 days in the fridge and reheat gently. They are better the next day, once the mushrooms have settled into the sauce.
• •You can soak and chop the dried mushrooms a day ahead; keep the mushrooms and their settled liquor chilled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)