Vegan White Bean Brandade

Drain the soaked beans. Peel and lightly crush 4 of the garlic cloves; thinly slice the remaining 2. Tear the nori sheets into small pieces. Warm the oat milk and zest and juice the lemon. Blitz the nori pieces to a fine powder in a spice grinder or small blender.

Place the drained beans in a large saucepan with the 4 crushed garlic cloves, thyme sprig and bay leaf. Cover generously with cold water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 45–60 minutes until the beans are completely tender and beginning to collapse at the edges. Drain, reserving 120 ml of the cooking liquid, and discard the thyme and bay leaf.

While the beans cook, warm 120 ml of the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and golden but not browned. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes, then discard the garlic slices.

Transfer the hot drained beans to a food processor. Add the miso paste, nori powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Pulse 5–6 times to break down the beans.

With the processor running, stream in the garlic-infused olive oil in a slow, steady pour, followed by the warm oat milk, until the mixture is thick and creamy but not completely smooth. Loosen with reserved bean cooking liquid if too stiff. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Preheat the oven grill (broiler) to high. Spread the brandade into a shallow 20 cm gratin dish or four individual ramekins. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the surface and scatter the breadcrumbs evenly on top.

Grill on the middle rack for 6–8 minutes until the breadcrumbs are deeply golden and the edges are bubbling, watching closely after 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and immediately scatter over the chopped parsley and a pinch of smoked paprika. Rest for 3 minutes before serving with toasted sourdough or crudités.