We've never cooked abundantly with sage; let alone felt inspired to use whole bunches of it; until our chef de cuisine; Zarah Khan; developed this pesto for her bean tartine. It's not overly aromatic or aggressive; thanks to the savory; anchoring effect of garlicky oil and sweet; buttery pistachios. It's just addictively rich and delicious! You'll want to pair it with many things (eggs; fish; roasted vegetables); but it's especially wonderful with beans.For this tartine; we're using michelet and cranberry beans from Primary Beans; an exciting new bean business out of the Bay area. Owner Lesley Sykes is on a mission to raise the general level of respect for beans. She works with eco-conscious growers steeped in tradition; and sources only just-harvested beans -- currently from small growers in the American West and Midwest and Mexico.For our go-to method for cooking luscious beans with maximum flavor; look here (though we'd suggest omitting the coriander seed for this use).*A note on the preserved lemons: For this recipe; we use the innards of house-made preserved Meyer lemons; which are more gently flavored than most commercially available preserved lemons. If making this at home with store-bought preserved lemons; we'd suggest lowering the amount used by 1/3 and adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. If you're able to get your hands on fresh Meyer lemons; try halving the amount of preserved lemon and adding 1/4 of a fresh Meyer lemon; finely chopped (skin and all)!

• 200 grams extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for blending
• 64 grams garlic, thinly sliced
• 240 grams raw pistachios
• 200 grams preserved Meyer lemons, finely chopped
• 80 grams parsley leaves
• 10 grams aleppo pepper
• 10 grams salt
• 110 grams fresh sage leaves

• 1 heaping cup cooked heirloom beans
• Fresh lemon
• Sea salt
• 1 thick slice of crusty bread
• Olive oil
• Manchego cheese
• sage leaves

For the pesto:In a small sauce pot over medium heat; warm the olive oil and garlic. Cook gently (a gentle sizzle of the garlic is what you're going for here) until the oil is fragrant and the garlic slices are lightly golden-brown. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.Finely chop the pistachios (we do so in a robot coupe/food processor). Add the preserved lemons; parsley; aleppo; salt; parsley and chopped pistachios to a Vitamix. Add the sage to the warm garlic oil; stirring to submerge; the sage should turn a nice dark green color as it absorbs the oil. Pour this into the Vitamix and blend on high; scraping down the sides and drizzling in fresh olive oil as needed to help everything blend (you'll definitely need to add a bit!). Once smooth; transfer to a container and chill immediately to retain a nice; vibrant green color.For the tartine:In a small bowl; toss the beans with the pesto; a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt. Brush the bread with olive oil and toast on both sides until golden. Cut in half; place on a plate; and spoon the beans over top. Shave Manchego cheese over the tartine and garnish with sage leaves.