Bean lard presents an intriguing alternative to traditional pork lard. This plant-based substitute is gaining popularity among those seeking meat-free spreads.
Ingredients
- White beans: 500 g
- Onion: 2 pieces
- Apple: 1 piece
- Soy sauce: 50 ml
- Oil: 30 ml
- Butter: 20 g
- Baking soda: 5 g
- Bay leaf: 5 pieces
- Salt: 3 g
- Marjoram: 2 g
- White pepper: 1.5 g
- Sugar: 1.5 g
Preparation
Boil the beans in the same water they were soaked in, along with baking soda and bay leaf. This will take about an hour for smaller beans and around 1.5 hours for larger beans (such as Piękny Jaś). Towards the end of cooking, remove the bay leaves from the pot. Finish cooking when most of the water has evaporated. There shouldn’t be too much water left, as the lard will turn out too runny. If you’re unsure if there’s too much liquid in the pot, drain the beans and reserve the liquid for later use. It will come in handy for thinning the mixture during blending.
Season the cooked white beans with soy sauce, then blend into a smooth mixture and set aside to cool slightly. If the mixture is dry and hard to blend, add some of the cooking water.
Peel and finely chop the onion and apple. Sauté the ingredients in a pan over low heat with heated oil. After a few minutes, add butter and sugar to the pan and mix. The onion and apple should gently caramelize. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the sautéed onion and apple to the beans. Also, add the remaining spices – pepper, marjoram, and salt, then mix everything thoroughly using a spatula. Transfer the finished lard to a jar and allow it to cool completely, then seal and store it in the refrigerator. The lard is good for consumption for about 5-6 days.
