Recipes taken from Full of Beans: delicious beany recipes to obsess over by Amelia Christie-Miller. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Sam A Harris.

CREAMY LEEK, MUSHROOM + BUTTER BEAN PIE

Ingredients: 

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

100g (3½oz) pancetta (optional)

20g (¾oz) butter

2 leeks, roughly chopped

150g (5½oz) chestnut or button mushrooms, roughly sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2–3 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped

1 tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard

1 tbsp plain flour

150ml (5fl oz/¼ pint) white wine

250–350ml (9–12fl oz) chicken or veg stock

570g (1lb 4½oz) jarred butter beans, drained

100ml (3½fl oz) double cream

1 egg

240g (8½oz) ready-rolled puff pastry 

salt and pepper

TO SERVE

Buttered peas

Cheesy mashed potato (optional)

Feeds 4–6

Takes 1 hour 20 minutes

You just can’t beat a pie. There is something about crispy, buttery pastry and a comforting creamy filling that really hits the spot. Add butter beans and you’ve got yourself an indulgent supper that is just as wonderful veggie or with smoky pancetta. If you’re leaving out the pancetta, taste test as you go, adding a little more salt if needed.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.

2. If you’re using pancetta, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 6–8 minutes until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. To the same pan, add the butter, leeks and mushrooms. Season and cook for 10–12 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and thyme leaves. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the mustard and flour and cook for a few minutes more, stirring all the while.

4. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble away for a few minutes before gradually adding 250ml (9fl oz) of the stock, stirring constantly. Add the butter beans, cream and reserved pancetta, if using. Season well with black pepper and cook for 10 minutes. If it starts to look a little dry, add a splash more stock. Once it’s ready, pour the pie filling into a large pie dish and allow to cool completely.

5. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and use some of it to brush the top edges of the pie dish. Take the pastry and lay it over the pie filling – you may need to roll out the pastry slightly first, depending on the shape of your pie dish – then cut away any loose edges and crimp with a fork. If you’re feeling fancy, you can use any excess pastry to decorate the top. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg and season with salt. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and deeply golden.

6. Leave the pie to rest for a few minutes, then serve in the middle of the table for people to help themselves, along with buttered peas, and maybe some cheesy mashed potato.

TOP TIP

The pie filling can be prepared the day before and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the pie and bake.

COSY CHICKEN + WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH CRISPY CHICKEN-SKIN CROUTONS

Think of this as a soup for the soul. It’s made using leftover roast chicken – save some of the skin for the crispy chicken-skin topping! The soup features two types of stock – chicken stock AND bean stock – creating layers of flavour. It’s super fragrant with fresh and dried herbs, and the milk addition is an old Italian trick to keep things creamy.

Ingredients: 

250g (9oz) leftover roast chicken, shredded, skin reserved for the crispy topping

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1–2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

1 tsp dried oregano or thyme

100g (3½oz) kale, chard or cavolo nero, roughly chopped

750ml (25fl oz) chicken stock

250ml (9fl oz) milk

570g (1lb 4½oz) jarred white beans, with their bean stock

1 bay leaf (optional)

salt and pepper

lemon wedges, to serve

Feeds 4

Takes 45 minutes

Method:

1. If you have any leftover chicken skin from your roast that’s gone all cold and flabby, this is the moment to turn it into something the table will be fighting for. Peel it off the chicken and heat a deep, heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium–high heat (you don’t want the hob too hot or you’ll risk burning the chicken skin). Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then lay the chicken skin in the pan in a single layer. Fry for 3–4 minutes on each side, moving the pieces around so they crisp up evenly. Once crisp, remove them using tongs and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave all the rendered fat in the pan to start your chicken soup.

2. Add the remaining oil to the pan (use a bit less if you had lots of chicken fat), reduce the heat a little and chuck in the onion, carrot and celery. Season, stir to coat the veggies in the oil, then gently cook for 15 minutes to soften.

3. Chuck in the garlic, rosemary and oregano, and cook for a further few minutes, then add the chicken and kale, and stir everything together. Season again, then pour in the chicken stock and milk. Add the beans with their bean stock, and bring to a simmer. Add a bay leaf at this point, too, if you like. Cook for 10–12 minutes.

4. Divide between deep bowls, then top with an extra splash of olive oil and a handful of the crispy chicken skin. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

CHICKPEA, SWEET POTATO + PEANUT BUTTER CURRY

Our favourite part of this recipe – one of our top-rated ones from the website – is that the sweet potatoes are gently poached in coconut milk and all those sweet and spicy aromatics, so it’s full-on flavour from the inside out. The peanut butter adds an extra layer of creaminess, as do the chickpeas. If you’re looking for pure comfort, THIS is it!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil or neutral oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, grated 

thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

½ tsp cinnamon / 1 cinnamon stick

500g (1lb 2oz) sweet potato, butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks

400ml (14fl oz) can coconut milk

100ml (3½fl oz) veg stock

2 tbsp peanut butter

200g (7oz) fresh spinach

100g (3½oz) sugar snap peas

700g (1lb 9oz) jarred chickpeas, with their bean stock

juice of ½ lime, plus wedges to serve

15g (½oz) coriander, roughly

chopped

salt and pepper

TO SERVE OPTIONAL:

Greek or natural yoghurt 

mango chutney

roasted peanuts or toasted flaked almonds, roughly chopped

cooked white or brown rice

warm naans or flat breads

Method:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes more until fragrant.

2. Add the cumin, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and cinnamon, along with a splash of water, and stir to create a paste. Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Add the sweet potato, squash or pumpkin chunks, along with the coconut milk and veg stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25–30 mins until the liquid has reduced right down and the starch has leached from the sweet potatoes (or squash or pumpkin cubes) to create a thick sauce. They should be soft enough that a cutlery knife can be inserted into the centre easily.

4. Stir in the peanut butter until it mellows into the sauce. If your peanut butter is particularly thick, try mixing it with a splash of water first to loosen it into a runnier paste so it is easier to stir in. Add the spinach, sugar snaps and chickpeas, along with their stock – you may need to add the spinach in batches. Mix well to combine, then simmer for 2–3 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted. Add the lime juice and most of the coriander, saving a handful for a garnish. Check for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and more lime juice, if desired.

5. Serve the curry into bowls, and top with the remaining coriander, along with a dollop of yoghurt, some mango chutney and a scattering of roasted nuts for crunch, if you fancy. Serve with cooked rice and naans or flat breads for something even heartier, if you like.