Flageolet Beans Recipes

FRENCH FLAGEOLET BEANS

Steps:

• The night before cooking, place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with water by 1 inch. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Drain the beans, rinse well, and drain again. In a large ovenproof pot such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-low heat, add the bacon, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bacon starts to brown. Add the onion, fennel, and carrots and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften but aren't browned. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Add the flageolets to the pot and stir in the broth, bay leaves, and rosemary. (Don't be tempted to add salt! The beans will become tough.) Add 2 cups of water, which should just cover the beans, and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover the pot tightly and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and return the pot to the oven without the lid. Raise the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 45 more minutes. The beans will be very tender and there will be just a little liquid in the bottom of the pan. (If the beans are dry, add a little more water.) Discard the bay leaves and rosemary. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

FLAGEOLETS WITH AUTUMN GREENS AND FRESH BACON

Steps:

• Pack the fresh bacon in the salt and sugar mixture, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Rinse and pat dry, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Combine the bacon, beans, carrot, onion, garlic, apricots, bay leaves, and chile in a pressure cooker and add cold water to come an inch above the beans. Fit the pressure cooker with the lid and raise the temperature to high until it starts to whistle. Reduce to the lowest setting and cook until the beans are creamy and cooked through, roughly 25 minutes. Remove the lid and adjust the seasoning with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Alternately, bring the ingredients to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the beans are thoroughly cooked through and creamy, roughly 1 3/4 hours.
• Remove the large aromatic vegetables, garlic, chile, and bay leaves from the pot and discard. They've done their flavoring job. Coarsely chop the greens or tear with your hands, then fold them into the beans. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the greens are tender.
• Serve with warm crusty bread and a healthy dose of olive oil.

FLAGEOLET

Steps:

• Place beans in a large stockpot. Cover with cold water by 2 inches; let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Transfer beans to a colander to drain. Return to stockpot; cover with 8 cups water. Add rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl; discard herbs. Gently toss with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

CREAMY FLAGEOLET BEANS, FRENCH STYLE

Steps:

• Place the beans in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water and leave to soak overnight (you can also soak these in the morning if you are eating in the evening).
• Drain the beans, place them in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, bring it to the boil and then drain them; repeat, covering the beans with plenty of cold water and adding the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf; simmer the beans for 1 ½ hours until very tender, topping up the pan with boiling water if necessary.
• Check the beans after 1 ¼ hours; when ready they should be tender and creamy-textured inside,
• Drain the beans, reserving a mug of cooking liquor and discarding the herbs; return the beans and garlic to the saucepan, stir in the crème fraiche with a little of the liquor and parsley and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• If you prepare these in advance, add a little more of the cooking liquor when reheating.

FLAGEOLET BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cover the beans in cold water by at least three inches of liquid and allow to soak overnight.
• When your beans have soaked, heat the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat for about ten minutes.
• Add prosciutto (if the end--add it whole, if a slice, cut into dice and add), the drained beans, the stock and the bouquet garni.
• Bring to a simmer, partially cover the pot and continue to simmer very gently, stirring every twenty minutes or so (and adding additional broth or water if the beans become dry) for about one and a half hours or until the beans have softened completely.
• Stir the tomatoes into the beans and cook uncovered until the beans are no longer submerged in liquid.
• If you used a prosciutto end, remove it and peel off and discard the rind, chop the remaining meat and add back into the beans.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Process the bread in your blender or food processor (or grate using the larger holes on your box grater).
• Spread the beans in an 8 - 12 cup gratin or baking dish.
• Sprinkle the surface with the bread crumbs and the remaining olive oil; bake for thirty minutes or until the surface is golden brown.

FLAGEOLET BEANS

Steps:

• Place beans in a medium pot, cover with water by 1 inch, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let soak 1 hour. Drain.
• Wipe pot clean; return beans to pot. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 50 minutes. Drain. Once cooked, beans can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 week.

GRATIN OF FLAGEOLET BEANS

Steps:

• Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a large noncorrodible pot (glass, ceramic, stainless steel or enameled iron). Add the diced carrot, celery and onion along with the garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the thyme, diced tomatoes, prosciutto hock, beans and the broth or water. Salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, adding water if the bean mixture becomes too thick. Remove the cover, raise the heat slightly and cook for another 30 minutes, reducing the liquid until it is at the same level as the beans. When stirred, the beans should have the consistency of a thick sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the prosciutto hock and thyme sprigs from the pot. Remove the rind from the prosciutto, chop the ham into coarse pieces and add them to the beans. Stir in about half of the parsley.
• Pour the beans into a baking dish. Mix the bread crumbs with the remaining parsley and the extra-virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese, and spread this over the beans in an even layer. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the edges bubble and the top is evenly browned.

FLAGEOLET BEAN PIE

Steps:

• Heat grill to high. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion for about 5 mins until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another min. Add the beans, crème fraîche and half the thyme. Season well, then cook until heated through.
• Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together, then stir in the rest of the thyme. Pour the bean mix into a baking dish and scatter with the breadcrumbs. Grill until the topping is crisp and golden. Serve with salad.