Potato and bean stew with dill and onions

The potato and bean stew with dill and onions is particularly suitable for the warm season. Just before serving, you can add a little lemon juice to round it off.

Potato varieties for the stew: Waxy potato varieties are particularly suitable here, as the potatoes should not fall apart in the stew, but rather have a buttery bite. This way, each potato cube optimally combines the overall taste of the stew. It is therefore also important not to put the potatoes in the pot right at the beginning - they need much less cooking time than the beans and would otherwise fall apart.

Raw beans and phaseolin: White beans are seeds of a garden bean plant and belong to the legumes. Raw They are inedible and even poisonous due to the lectin phaseolin they contain. The cooking process irreversibly inactivates phaseolin, making the beans a high-quality source of protein for humans. Dried white beans contain an average of 21 grams of protein per 100 grams.

Soaking the beans: You should soak the beans well before cooking to reduce the phytic acid content. Phytic acid irreversibly binds minerals in the human body, meaning that they are no longer available to the organism.

Disadvantages of pre-cooked beans: In the trade, white beans (like other types of beans and legumes) are usually dried or pre-cooked and preserved. While the preserved version is of course the more convenient and time-saving option, the dried version has the advantage of better taste. In addition, by cooking at home you can also determine the degree of firmness yourself (canned beans are often very soft, sometimes already mushy). Of course, canned goods often contain unnecessary additives or are already salted and the unprocessed version is always preferable.

Plan the preparation of the beans generously: There are a few things to consider when using dried beans. The most important thing is the age or storage: the longer and the warmer the beans have been stored (at home or in the shop), the longer the preparation or soaking time. Unfortunately, this calculation usually leaves at least one variable unaccounted for - so you should plan the preparation of beans generously. If the packet states one hour of cooking time, it could end up taking a good 2-3 hours.

Organic preserves: If you decide to go for the quick option, it is advisable to only buy organic preserves. They are often processed more gently, but above all they contain fewer or no additives. Glass preserves, which generally predominate in organic stores, are particularly recommended. These do not contain aluminum or BPA (bisphenol A) and are more environmentally friendly.

When to add salt: You should always add salt at the end of the cooking time, when the beans are already soft. Beans cook much more slowly in salted water. (You should also keep this in mind when adding soup stock, which usually contains salt.)

Quick option: If you need something quick, you can use canned beans However, this makes a big difference in terms of taste and consistency. In addition, it is much more expensive in the long run to buy canned goods.

Yoghurt combination: A combination of the stew with yoghurt makes a fresh stew variant, especially in spring or summer - served lukewarm. We recommend a vegan yoghurt for this, for example a homemade cashew yoghurt.