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Turkish Braised Beans with Potatoes and Carrots

Turkish Braised Beans with Potatoes and Carrots

  • Makes
    6 to 8 servings
  • Cook Time
    1¾ hours
  • Slow Cook Time
    7½ to 8½ hours
  • Active time plus cooling
    30 minutes
  • Rating

Turkish barbunya pilaki is a summertime dish of cranberry beans (also known as borlotti or Roman beans) simmered simply in olive oil with a few aromatics and vegetables. Fresh beans are preferred, but they’re highly seasonal and not widely available in the U.S., so we use dried cranberry beans and we cook them in an Instant Pot using either the pressure cooker or slow cooker function. Barbunya pilaki typically is served at room temperature, or even chilled, as part of a meze spread. We think the beans also are delicious warm as a light vegetarian main with bread alongside or as an accompaniment to roasts and kebabs.

Tip

Don’t skip the step of soaking the beans. Soaking helps the beans cook evenly and fully tenderize. It’s especially important if using the Instant Pot’s slow cooker function.

Ingredients
  • 1

    pound dried cranberry beans (see headnote), picked over and rinsed

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

  • 1

    medium yellow onion, chopped

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, chopped

  • 2

    tablespoons Aleppo pepper or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 2

    tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1

    pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks

  • 2

    medium carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick on the diagonal

  • 3

    tablespoons lemon juice

  • ½

    cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Step 1

In a large bowl, stir together the beans, 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover and let soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse the beans; set aside.

On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil and onion, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, Aleppo pepper and tomato paste; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the beans, potatoes, carrots, 4½ cups water and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper, then distribute in an even layer.

Step 2

Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 25 minutes.

When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 20 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.

Step 3

Stir in the lemon juice and half of the parsley. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve drizzled with additional oil and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.