Ingredients:

2 cans butter beans 

2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 large onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving

1/2 cup finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 cup fresh lemon juice, plus extra for serving

2 cups water

1/2 cup dried dill (Chef Alikhani recommends good quality Persian dill) or 8 ounces finely chopped fresh dill

Freshly ground black pepper

1 poached egg per person

Directions:

Cook onion in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until dark golden. This will likely take at least 20 minutes, but judge by the color (more golden than golden-brown) and the smell, which should be full and fragrant, not acrid or raw.

Add garlic and continue stirring. Cook until fragrant. Add turmeric, reduce the heat, and continue stirring until turmeric is fragrant, only about 1 minute (don’t let it burn).

Add lemon juice to the hot pan to deglaze the onion and garlic. Let sit for a moment, then use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom and mix them into the broth.

Add water, plus salt and pepper to taste, then cover the pan with a close-fitting lid. If you’re using fresh dill, you should add it at this point as well. Cook for about 10 minutes. If using dried dill, add the dill after these 10 minutes.

Add the drained beans to the onion-herb mixture. Adjust the seasoning and continue cooking on low heat for a few more minutes to warm through.

Traditionally, eggs are cracked and incorporated into the stew before serving, but if you want to follow chef Alikhani’s lead, top each serving with a poached egg instead. If you’re keeping the stew vegan, simply skip this step and serve.

When plating, the chef suggests drizzling the stew with a little more fresh lemon juice and good quality extra virgin olive oil, with some freshly ground pepper to finish.

Nutritional Information: