Time
Less than an hour with cooked or canned beans, partially unattended
UnitsScale
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
8ounces raw or smoked poultry or pork, cut it bite-size chunks (or a combination, any bones reserved; see the headnote)
1 large leek, sliced and well rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Salt and black pepper
4cups mixed chopped raw vegetables (like carrots or parsnips, celery or celery root, zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, or any root vegetable)
1 teaspoon dried fines herbs or thyme
1 small can of diced tomatoes (15 ounces, or use a couple of fresh tomatoes in season)
3cups cooked or canned white beans (any kind), drained (that’s two 15-ounce cans; reserve the liquid if you cooked dried beans)
1cup bean cooking liquid, vegetable stock, or water, plus more as needed
1 or 2 bay leaves
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves for garnish
Instructions
Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. A minute later, add the meat and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces are browned on all sides, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on whether the meat was raw or cooked.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the leeks and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mixed vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until everything is soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the herbs and stir until fragrant, less than a minute.
Add the tomatoes, the beans, the 1 cup liquid, the bay leaves, and any bones from the poultry or meat; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, cover, and cook, stirring once in a while until the beans are creamy and the vegetables are melting away, about 20 minutes. Add a little more liquid if the stew looks too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings, remove any bones, and serve in shallow bowls, drizzled with a little oil and garnished with the parsley or celery leaves.