Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
1-2 cups fresh shelling beans, shelled
1 quart water
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 thyme sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves (or herbs of your choice)
Pinch of baking soda
1 pound tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt
In a saucepan, combine the beans, water, garlic, thyme sprigs and baking soda and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the beans are tender, 30 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid in the saucepan. Discard the garlic and thyme sprigs. Add the beans and tomatoes. Simmer the stew over moderate heat until the tomatoes are hot, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Add the thyme leaves and season with salt, then serve.