ILONA ANDREWS

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Eat, Drink, and Be Married (or Not)

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Ilona is undergoing her second cataract surgery today, so while we’re crossing our fingers for her, you’re stuck with me again. But I have a tasty morsel suggestion to mitigate that bitter pill!

Before anyone starts getting ideas from the name of today’s recipe, let me clarify: I’m neither interested in, nor pushing the nuptial element. This is purely about surviving the cold rainy season through carbs and cream. Steps can be taken to avoid the lactose, but not really the calories. Whatever, my chins, my choice.

Marry Me, You Giant Bean

This is a spin on Marry Me Chicken, a dish said to be so good you’ll want to marry the chef (or at least consider joint taxes). The folks at Delish adapted the original from a Tuscan recipe, and then it was relentlessly TikTok’d into legend.

When I first tried my luck at the non-poultry version, I had in my possession a jar of Greek fasolia gigantes, but you don’t have to go that far. Regular butter beans (lima beans if you’re of the US persuasion) or even cannellini will do nicely. Size doesn’t matter, but it’s a pleasant surprise, as the saying goes.

Ingredients:

  • 450 grams/ 16 oz of drained beans
  • 2 shallots (or one small onion)
  • 200 ml (1 cup) of vegetable broth
  • 250 grams/1 cup double cream (heavy cream in the US). Substitute coconut cream if you want a vegan/dairy free version
  • 3 good tablespoons of sundried tomato paste. Or about 40 grams of chopped sundried tomatoes
  • 40 grams (half a cup) of grated parmesan
  • Flavourings: sweet smoked paprika, rosemary, salt, pepper. Of course, you can riff here, and go closer to the OG Marry Me recipe with garlic and red pepper flakes, or experiment with thyme, basil, sage, lemon peel, chilli oil etc. Make it your own!
  • Baby spinach (optional) – in the UK, one of those small salad bags the supermarkets annoy us with. In the US, about 3 cups. Remember it wilts down to nothing.

Slice the shallots and fry on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until brown and soft, then stir in the flavourings and the sundried tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and the broth and cook them uncovered for 5 minutes. Crush some of the beans if you want it EVEN creamier. No one has the right to judge you or your cream needs.

Pour in the cream and the parmesan and watch it thicken, then take off the heat and stir in the spinach if you want it (or if you’re anemic and don’t have a choice).

And that’s it. My sourdough starter, Olivia Low-Gluten John, makes a very crusty loaf and I dove right in with a slice. Pure bliss. It also works as a very rich side, for those days when you scream into the void and the void doesn’t know what it wants for dinner either.

In ye olden times it would probably be called a dish for women on the go, but I am very much a woman on the stay. Stay inside and be cosy.

Marrying always optional.

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Comments

  2. Thanks for the recipe.

    I think I speak for the rest of the Horde when I say we don’t mind being stuck with you. 😊

  4. That sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try the recipe with a good crusty bread. I’ve made Marry Me Chicken once and it was delicious and surprisingly easy.

  5. Yummy looking recipe Mod R. Thank you. Sending love & healing thoughts to Ilona. I hope all goes well

  6. Healing vibes to Ilona, today.
    I’m all about staying inside and being cozy! And I love perusing recipes- thanks for sharing – I’ve just gotten lazy about actually making said recipes – lol

    • lol, me too, especially because so many ingredients are now off-limits to my GI tract. So I live vicariously.

  7. Many thanks for this recipe, ModR! I’m trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into my diet, but so many of them make me go Ugh. This one sounds quite nice, and it’s easy enough I can manage it.

    I’m also interested in learning more about your Olivia Low-Gluten John (love that name! heehee) sourdough.

    Wishing Ilona all the best today and as she recovers over the next few weeks.

  8. Recipe sounds wonderful! Tell Ilona good luck with the surgery. My husband loves his cataract-free eyes!

  9. Dear Mod R,

    You are NOT a bitter pill in these or any other book universes. You are an awesome assistant to House Andrews and an amazing person in yourself and I enjoy reading your posts here and on Facebook. Don’t forget that, please. =)

    • I’ve never had it with rice, but could totally see it working that way!
      I let mine thicken quite a bit, but you can totally control it adding less/more broth.

  13. I made this last night with sockeye salmon and the last of the basil from the garden. It was delish!

  16. Wishing Ilona the best today for the cataract surgery!! 💖

    This recipe sounds delicious, and something even I, with my negative cooking skills, could make. Like every week this winter! 🍲❄️

  18. No, no. Everything is fine. No worries. I’m just drooling on my keyboard. Everything is fine.

  20. Good wishes to Ilona for a speedy recovery!

    Not being a Tik Tok enthusiast, Marry Me Chicken never made it to my radar. I will definitely be giving it a try next week.

  22. In the original recipe, were there chicken and no beans? I make a chicken/green chile dish that sounds kind of similar. I am very jealous of your sourdough bread!

    • Yes, I linked the original recipe (the name is clickable) – it’s chicken with a garlic, crushed red hilli flakes and basil flavour profile! Very yum too!

  23. ModR – you are just delightful!
    “For those days when you scream into the void and the void doesn’t know what it wants for dinner either” – it’s not just me!

    • Definitely not! I love food so much, but figuring out what to make every day takes it out of me.

      • Absolutely agree! But for once I’ll have no need to ruminate on what’s for dinner tomorrow given this delicious suggestion. Can’t wait to try the recipe!
        Thank you ModR!

  24. About lactose: after a few experimentations I discovered that in my case, it’s not the lactose, it’s the cow-originated and high-temperature cooked lactose !

    So in a lot of dishes, goat fresh cheese works really well. When I don’t want the coconut taste.

    And I can still take the vanilla flavour at the artisanal ice cream – I suppose he uses raw milk 😉

    Also the cheesemaker explained that the lactose molecule is so much bigger in cow milk than in sheep’s and goat’s milk.

    Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  25. Lima beans are NEVER a pleasant surprise. Like, never ever.

    My dad was using a chainsaw to cut up a downed tree literally less than an hour after his cataract surgery. Don’t be my dad – take it easy!

    • It’s funny – I can’t stand lima beans, but I like butter beans (which is supposedly a more mature/less juvenile lima bean).

      • Apparently, what you call a lima bean versus a butter bean depends on where in the US you are from. Where I grew up (northern US), butter beans are the mature beans and lima beans are the babies. Where my husband grew up (southern US), butter beans are the babies and lima beans are the mature beans (probably because in the South they drowned baby lima beans in butter — hence, butter beans). This is a very contentious subject in our house (including which one tastes better). So, in my house this might be better called “Divorce me Chicken.” 😜

  26. American heavy cream is absolutely no substitute for double cream. However, if you have a specialty/imported foods store near you, you might be able to get double cream in the US.

    I used to go out of my way to get double cream for making chocolate truffles. It’s the best.

    • I really can’t speak on half-and-half, as I’ve never encountered the beast, so this seemed like the closest thing 🙂

      A cream that doesn’t curdle with heat!

      As an à propos, I am experimenting with potatoes roasted in clotted cream 😀 . I will never be able to share with the international audience hehe.

      • An internet search indicated the Creme fraiche (40% fat) is a good substitute for double cream (48%) in savory dishes because it is less likely to curdle.

        Mod R, Half and half would be going the wrong direction. Half and half is half milk and half heavy cream (pure US heavy cream is ~30% fat). It is primarily used as a slightly richer ‘cream’ for tea and coffee, compared to milk.

        • Um, we cook with half and half in soup frequently. Add it at the end and then don’t boil it and there’s no problem.

      • You can use heavy cream in heated dishes. It doesn’t curdle depending on the brand of heavy cream used in the dish.

        I have seen recipes that use heavy cream that’s boiled down to make the cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese. It gets thicker as it boils. This way there is no flour/butter (roux) mix to cook. Two warnings of boiling cream. First: You will have to stir the cream every once and a while, so it doesn’t scorch the bottom of the pot. Second: No highest setting of heat to get the cream to boil. Medium to medium high heat works best. Overboil of cream from the pot onto the stove is very nasty to clean up. The smell is awful.

  27. I make something very similar with butter beans, then blend it to a velvety smooth consistency, with a little extra water if it is on the thick side. I then add in one of those tins of greek gigantes beans with tomato and seasonings and then reheat it. Serve with a side of garlicky herby foccacia, toasted to a gentle crunch and add a few drops of dry sherry or rice wine. (NB, keep your old bottle when you empty the rice wine, fill it about a third full with dried chillies and refill with either rice wine or dry sherry, and leave it for about a fortnight at the back of the pantry cupboard, then drip it into soups when you serve them, adds a richness and a little kick of heat! You can refill it several times before you need to swap out the chillies.)

  28. Yummy!!
    All this talk of bread, cheese, chicken, & ice cream.I Just finished eating and now I’m hungry again! 😂

  31. Thank you; I can’t wait to try this!

    Hope the surgery was smooth and successful like the first one.

  32. Goodness, this sounds DELICIOUS!!!!

    I must admit that I don’t like Lima beans, the only exception being the way my grandmother used to make them (stewed in tomato sauce with onions, garlic, basil, oregano etc)

    However, I LOVE cannellini beans, and I think I am going to have to make this recipe for dinner tomorrow. 😋

    Thank you for sharing the recipe!
    🥰💕💕💕

  33. I’m an unrepentant omnivore, but several of my favorite foods are vegetarian. This recipe sounds great! Thank you.

    And I remember Ilona telling us her surgery was scheduled for today. I hope everything has gone well.

  34. For the days you scream into the void, and the void doesnknow what it wants for dinner either.

    Story of my life.

    Hope you’re feeling comfortable Ilona. and well on your way to 20/20 vision.

    Mod R, I’ve never tried this with beans, it sounds amazing.

  35. Ah, Mod R, you delightful creature, you. Thank you for this whimsical post, love your starter’s name. Best wishes to Ilona for clear sight in both eyes.

  36. Thank you so very very much ModR for sharing your creative soul with the Horde! The Zodiac and Spam posts are light and funny and calming! This has the bonus of a yummy recipe AND your creativity! Bonus for us! I’m grateful for this blog because I know, going in, that they will be ‘safe’ for me and enjoyable, informative or both. Didn’t truly think about that until now….
    Thank you to the Horde for making the comments pleasant as well!
    May we all continue to hold safe space (as we are able) for ourselves and others. May we find someone who can hold it for us when needed.
    Sending peace, health and safety to all!

    • Every single ingredient has been converted for you in the article above and written in imperial measurements as well.
      Please do not share AI content on the blog, as House Andrews do not support it. Beyond anything else, it is wildly incorrect and unnecessary – all you need to do is read the recipe.

  38. Since we’ve had 4 ° Celsius this morning, which is about 40 Fahrenheit, I also wish some comfort food. I bought minced meat and red beans. No chili allowed in my kitchen, but I will sear the meat with onions and tomatopaste, fill up with beans and red wine and let simmer for hours.

    Enjoy your ‘marry me’ meal, Mod R.

  39. I will be making this, I have a couple cans of cannellini beans in the cabinet and was wondering what to do with them. I also have a “take and bake” original sourdough loaf from Costco! Dinner solved for today! Thank you so much!

  43. I do something similar, but without the heavy cream. And maybe add a touch of wine 😉. So I can attest to the delicious factor. Fall finally arrived in centralTX a couple weeks ago. We celebrated with soup, of course. The morning temps are finally cool enough for a light sweater, even if we are still resorting to tank tops by noon 😁. Thanks! I’ll add it to my try this list.

    Hopefully all went swimmingly for HA yesterday. They were in my thoughts, for sure.

  44. Thank you, Mod R – sounds yummy. Nice to have meatless alternatives. Amusingly written, too.

    Sending best wishes for Ilona’s surgery. Maybe someone could cook her up some of this recipe?

  45. I can’t decide if I’m missing a lot or a lot of nothing by not ever logging into TikTok.

    Forgive the sentence. I had a root canal at 7:30 this morning that lasted an hour an a half. Pain is my friend.

  46. So … how would this side dish / sauce be if you used fava beans and paired it with a nice Chianti? Asking for a prison penpal….

  47. Best wishes for a successful surgery, Ilona. You’ll love your improved eyesight!

    Thanks for the recipe…I’m more of a soup person on these wet, cool and rainy days. Your Olivia Low Gluten John sounds like it would be great for said soups!

  48. “for those days when you scream into the void and the void doesn’t know what it wants for dinner either.”

    “for women on the go, but I am very much a woman on the stay. Stay inside and be cosy. ”

    Thank you for the giggles!

    I saw a wonderful meme that said
    “I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food, but all I find are ingredients.”

  52. Can’t wait to try this — it looks delish. Hope all went well with the surgery. Was told yesterday that at my regular eye appt that I was borderline illegal to drive because of the cataract in my right eye so I guess my surgery is right around the corner!!!

  54. Thanks for the meatless suggestion. cannelli beans seem like they would be much tastier than lima. What about fava beans?

  55. Dearest Mod R,
    We are never “stuck” with you! Love the things you post without fail. And “scream into the void and the void doesn’t know what it wants for dinner either.” is a VERY apt description!

  56. Yummy!

    I made a lazy woman’s version of this using the ingredients I had for my former favorite bean soup recipe (https://veggiedesserts.com/mexican-bean-soup/) (except I’d used the sweet corn for something else and couldn’t be bothered to drag myself to the store) and… have a flaming hot long-distance literary affair with me, Mod R! 😘

    I used mixed beans, tomato purée, and a 10% “cooking cream”—and instead of cheese, I added half again more beans and smushed them. Then I ate a bowl with Lidl’s Greek-inspired spinach-cheese pastry. Because I’m fancy like that. 😜

    I totally added this recipe (and mods) to my Paprika app for the next time when the void refuses to decide what’s for dinner.

  57. The local market had just gotten some dried giant beans this week, so I decided that was a sign that I needed to try this out.

    I didn’t follow your directions perfectly, but you provided an excellent setup that I was able to use to make a really tasty meal. My taster (who is our usual chef) described the broth as “just lovely.”

  59. Definitely trying this. We rented a villa on Crete for a year and Giant Beans were a repeat on our menu.