One of our favorite recipes from The Bean Book (Ten Speed Press, 2024). Photo by Ed Anderson.

We asked our friends at Wine Forest Wild Foods to help us with a winter recipe that takes full advantage of wild mushrooms and big, fat white beans. Chef Staffan Terje (formerly of San Francisco’s renowned Perbacco restaurant) delivered a vegetarian stew that would be hard not to love.

You can serve this as a side dish or a main course, maybe overcooked pasta or a toasted slice of levain or sourdough bread.

• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 large pack (40 grams) dried porcini mushrooms, preferably from Wine Forest Wild Foods, soaked in 1 quart lukewarm water for 20 minutes or up to 3 hours
• 2 to 3 florets fresh maitake mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons red miso
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 4 to 6 cups cooked Rancho Gordo Royal Corona or California Corona beans, or other large white beans, bean broth reserved
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons dried mushroom powder, preferably Wine Forest Mushroom Alchemy
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Reserving the soaking liquid, remove the porcini mushrooms and chop them into ½-inch pieces. Add to the pot and stir. Gently break the maitake mushrooms into wedges and add to the pot. Stir gently and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Strain the porcini-soaking water through a fine-mesh strainer or coffee filter. Do this slowly, as any sand particles will settle on the bottom of the bowl. Add the miso and thyme to the pot and stir, then add the beans, bean broth, and porcini- soaking liquid. Add more water if necessary to cover the contents of the pot. Bring to a slow boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer. 
4. Wash the chard and cut out the white stems. Cut the green leaves
   into 1-­ inch pieces, then slice the chard stems into 1-­ inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the parsley, then stir in the mushroom powder. At this point, the beans should barely be covered with liquid, which should be rich and nicely coat a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
6. Serve in bowls with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil.