Fasol s Gribami (Russian White Bean and Mushroom Pot)

About This Recipe

Fasol s gribami is homely Russian pantry cooking: white beans simmered until soft, then folded through mushrooms and onions that have been browned hard enough to taste almost meaty. It's a dish built for cold months, when dried mushrooms and beans keep well and a pot like this can stretch a small grocery budget into a filling dinner. The mushrooms are the real engine of flavor here — they need real browning, cooked in batches if necessary so they don't steam, before joining the beans. A few spoonfuls of the beans are mashed against the side of the pot near the end to thicken the sauce naturally, without needing flour or cornstarch, and sour cream stirred in off the heat rounds out the acidity. This is the kind of dish generations of Russian home cooks have relied on: cheap, filling, and full of flavor if you take the time to actually brown the mushrooms rather than rushing them.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 2 cupscooked white beans(cannellini or navy, or 2 cans, drained)
• 500 gcremini mushrooms(sliced)
• 3 tbspbutter
• 1onion(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1bay leaf
• 1.5 cupsvegetable stock
• 3 tbspsour cream
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspchopped dill

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the mushrooms

   Melt half the butter in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer and let them sit undisturbed for 3-4 minutes before stirring, until deeply browned, about 8-10 minutes total.

   Crowding the pan makes mushrooms steam instead of brown — use a wide pot or cook in two batches.

2. 2

   Soften the aromatics

   Push mushrooms to one side, add remaining butter, onion and bay leaf, and cook until the onion turns soft and golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.

3. 3

   Add the beans

   Add the white beans and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. 4

   Thicken naturally

   Mash a few spoonfuls of beans against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. Simmer another 5 minutes until the mixture looks glossy, not soupy.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Remove from heat, discard the bay leaf, and stir in sour cream, salt, pepper and dill. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving hot.

Variations

• •

  Add a handful of rehydrated dried porcini along with their strained soaking liquid for extra depth.

• •

  Stir in cooked, shredded chicken for a heartier non-vegetarian version.

• •

  Serve over buckwheat or mashed potatoes to turn it into a full plate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days in a sealed container; the flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of stock to loosen the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions