I love breadcrumbs. So much depth of flavor and texture from such a humble ingredient! I started making this version, made from nuts instead of bread or Panko, when I was the Recipe Developer & Tester at EatingWell Magazine. Someone had leftover ground almonds from a recipe test, so I toasted them in a skillet using my usual breadcrumb treatment: olive oil, lemon zest, and a lightly crushed clove of garlic. I scattered them generously over dressed escarole, which I accidentally over-ordered (sorry), and called it staff lunch. The result was so fragrant, nutty, and crunchy I began to riff on it using any nut I could find. Here, hazelnuts take center stage, along with meaty borlotti beans (also called cranberry beans). Use whatever sturdy beans you have on hand — be they canned (drained, rinsed) or cooked from dry — and keep the quantities consistent. I’ve used butter beans, gigante beans, canned cannellini beans, and even 1-inch slices of quickly blanched French beans for this recipe, with good results.

Serves 6.