You will need:

Thick cut sourdough toast

A few large handfuls of assorted mushroom, brushed clean and trimmed accordingly

Cannellini beans (1 cup dried yields about 3 cups cooked)

Onion, carrot, celery

Garlic clove

Olive oil for cooking and finishing

Flaky sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Fresh herbs of choice (like- thyme, rosemary, savory, parsley, basil…)

Parmesan

What to do (see *notes below for tips)

Cook beans or choose canned. If cooking, follow package directions to determine if they require soaking. Cooking time and any soaking will depend upon the age of the beans*. The fresher they are, the less time is required. For this one I like to choose a white beans such as Cannellini or Sorana. To the cooking water add entire 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, a couple of celery stalks, a couple sprigs of thyme and or rosemary and a clove of garlic. Cook until tender, discard the vegetables but reserve the cooking liquid. Season to taste. Purée about half of the beans using just enough of the liquid to achieve the consistency you like along with some fragrant olive oil. Choose an assortment of mushrooms and slice, removing any woody parts or tough stems. Preheat a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, add olive oil with a touch of butter (butter optional) add mushrooms (do NOT salt yet**) and sauté until mushroom have browned and edges are crispy. Work in batches being sure not to over crowd the pan as you don’t want them to steam. Season with salt and pepper when finished. Cut a thick slice of sourdough bread and toast well. Brush with olive oil and spread on a generous amount of bean purée followed by a few spoonfuls of beans. Pile in mushrooms with a pinch of piment d’Espelette or chili flakes of choice and a pinch of fresh herbs. Fresh grated Parmesan always welcome! Enjoy!

*fresh shelled beans will be cooked within about 30 minutes (time varies depending upon size and variety). Cover with about 2” of water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until tender. My go-to brands for dried beans are Rancho Gordo or Primary Beans neither of which generally require soaking.

**salting mushrooms at the onset of cooking with cause them to release water and the steam produced will prevent crispy edges. By holding off on the salt until the end, you’ll achieve crispy edges while allowing the mushrooms to stay “meaty”