Here's the thing with British cuisine. None of it makes sense, these ingredients have no business going together in the same meal, but damn if this isn't tasty.
Inspiration: Epicurious
Ingredients
4 (1" thick) slices crusty country bread
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz (about 4 strips) smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp smoked paprika, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 large bunch or 2 small bunches (about 8 oz total) lacinato kale, stems re-moved and leaves torn into medium-size pieces, washed, and shaken dry (there should be a little water still clinging to the leaves)
2 (15-oz) cans white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
Preparation
Heat a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil. Lay the bread in the skillet and cook, pressing occasionally with a spatula, until crisp and golden brown, about 90 seconds per side. (If your slices are large, you may have to do this in two batches.) Set the bread aside.
Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until it has browned a little and rendered at least a tablespoon of fat, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it has softened and turned golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, thyme, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.
Add the slightly wet kale in batches, using tongs to stir the leaves into the onion mixture; wait for one handful of kale to wilt and shrink before adding the next. When the last of the greens has been added, add the beans and broth. Raise the heat and let the beans and greens simmer for a minute or two, just to warm the beans and bring the flavors together. Taste and add more kosher salt if necessary.
Serve the greens and beans over the toast in wide, shallow bowls, dusted with a little more smoked paprika.
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