Kuru Fasulye — Turkish White Beans in Tomato

Ingredients

• 1½ cups dried white beans, soaked overnight
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp red pepper paste
• 2 green chilies, sliced
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 3 cups hot water
• Salt and black pepper
• Pickles and plain rice pilaf, for serving

Method

1. Drain the soaked beans and set them in a pressure cooker with fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Cook 12 minutes at high pressure and release naturally, or simmer on the stove 50 minutes. Don't add salt yet.
2. Soften the onion in the butter over medium until translucent, then stir in both pastes, the chilies, and the Aleppo pepper. Fry 3 minutes until the color deepens and the fat runs red.
3. Add the drained beans, the hot water, and a firm teaspoon of salt. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, crushing a spoonful of beans against the side to thicken the sauce.
4. It's ready when the liquid coats the beans rather than surrounding them and the surface carries a sheen of red fat. Serve with rice, pickles, and no apology for the simplicity.