I wish I could remember where this recipe came from. It’s an easy weeknight dinner, and even better if you’re one of those cooks who instead of opening a can of beans, prepares your own beans, using your favorite dried beans, flavoring them just the way you like them, slowly simmering them into submission and then freezing what you don’t eat right away in dinner-size portions.
Ingredients:
1/4 pound thick-cut bacon (about 4 thick slices), cut crosswise into thin strips 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups packed thinly sliced kale leaves (stems removed) 1 1/2 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth 1 (15-1/2 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained (or about 2 cups of your own cooked beans) 1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 uniform pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
Preparation:
Set an oven rack 6 inches from the top element and heat the broiler to high.
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until the bacon renders much of its fat and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to remove 2 tablespoons bacon fat from the skillet and reserve in a small bowl.
Add the garlic to the bacon in the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the garlic starts to sizzle, about 30 seconds.
Raise the heat to high, add the kale, and sauté, stirring, until it starts to wilt, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the skillet, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
While the beans are cooking, line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with foil and arrange the salmon, skin side down, on it. Drizzle the reserved bacon fat over the salmon and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Broil until slightly firm to the touch, 7 to 10 minutes for medium (the salmon will be dark pink in the middle). Sprinkle half of the thyme over the salmon. Stir the remaining thyme into the beans and kale and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, spoon equal portions of the beans and kale onto dinner plates and top each with a piece of salmon. Serve immediately.