Provençal Bean Pot Recipes

PROVENCAL FRENCH BEANS

Steps:

• Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Soak in the refrigerator overnight.
• Drain the beans, place in a large saucepan with the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving the stock.
• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, then add the onions, diced carrots, and celery, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Add the parsley, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beans and 2 cups of the cooking stock. (If you dont have enough liquid, add additional stock or water to make 2 cups.) Cook for 15 minutes until the stock makes a little sauce, adding more stock if necessary. Finish with the Parmesan cheese. Serve with a garnish of chopped parsley.

PRESSURE-COOKER PROVENCAL HAM & BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans; soak according to package directions. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. , Transfer beans to a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. Add tomatoes; crush with a wooden spoon until chunky. Stir in ham, vegetables, garlic, seasonings and stock. Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 10 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure. Serve with bread.

PROVENçAL VEGETABLE SOUP WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Prepare the beans: Put the beans and 5 cups water in a saucepan over high heat. Add onion stuck with clove, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, salt and olive oil. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Leave beans to cool in their own broth. (May be cooked several hours or up to 1 day in advance.)
• Make the soup: Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, season generously with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring until softened and barely browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add potato and 2 cups water to soup pot. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Add cooked shell beans and bean broth and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, working in batches in a separate pot, blanch Romano beans, wax beans and zucchini in salted water for 1 minute. Spread out to cool on a baking sheet.
• Make the pistou: Put basil, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and pulse to a rough paste. (Alternatively, pound basil and garlic in a stone mortar and stir in oil and cheese.) Stir in about 1/2 cup grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. (Makes about 3/4 cup.)
• To serve, add blanched vegetables to soup pot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle into bowls and add about 2 tablespoons pistou to the center of each bowl. Pass extra grated cheese at the table.

PROVENçAL TOMATO AND BEAN GRATIN

Steps:

• Cut one of the onions in half, and stick a clove into each half. Chop the other onion. Drain the soaked beans and combine with 2 quarts water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam, then add the halved onion, the crushed garlic cloves and the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add salt to taste, and continue to simmer for another 30 to 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat, remove and discard the onion and the bouquet garni, and drain over a bowl. Measure out 3 cups of the cooking liquid, taste and adjust salt. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the remaining garlic, and stir together until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, cayenne and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and smell very fragrant. Stir in the beans and 3 cups of their cooking broth (refrigerate the rest if you are making this ahead; you may need it for thinning out). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, until the mixture is thick and fragrant. Stir often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt and garlic.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 3-quart gratin or baking dish. Spoon the tomatoes and beans into the baking dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and cheese in a bowl, and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle in an even layer over the beans. Bake 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and the gratin is bubbling. Serve hot or warm.

VIRGINIA'S GREEN BEANS PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain well in a colander, then set the colander with beans in the ice-water bath, making sure the beans are submerged. Drain the beans, shaking off the excess water.
• In the same pot, heat the oil over low heat. Add beans, garlic, tomatoes, olives and basil, and toss to combine. Drizzle vinegar over beans and toss to coat. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

PROVENCAL WHITE BEAN DIP

Steps:

• Slice off the top quarter of the garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and wrap tightly in foil. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for one hour. Unwrap and let stand until cool enough to handle, then squeeze all the cloves into a bowl.
• Strip rosemary and thyme leaves off stems into work bowl of a food processor. Add roasted garlic, 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and cannellini beans. Puree until smooth. Serve with slices of baguette or with pita chips.

PROVENCAL BEAN SOUP (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Put everything into crockpot and cook on low 8 hours.

PROVENCAL HAM & BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans; soak according to package directions. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. , Transfer beans to a 6-qt. slow cooker. Add tomatoes; crush with a wooden spoon until chunky. Stir in ham, vegetables, garlic, seasonings and stock. Cook, covered, on low 7-9 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with bread.

FAVA BEANS PROVENCALE

Steps:

• Shell beans; place in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add 1 bay leaf, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid; discard garlic.
• In a medium saute pan over high heat, cook peppers in oil until golden brown. Lower heat; add onions, tomatoes, and remaining bay leaf, and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes.
• Remove bay leaf and pass mixture through a food mill, adding a few cooked beans and enough reserved bean liquid so that mixture resembles a very thick soup.
• Return to pot with rest of beans. Add more bean liquid if mixture seems too thick, and cook 15 minutes longer.

PROVENçAL BEAN POT

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté over medium heat until both are golden.
• Add the water, carrots, celery, and wine. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the beans, tomatoes, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. If needed, add a small amount of water, but the consistency should be neither too thick nor too soupy.
• Stir in half of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Sprinkle the remaining parsley atop each serving.
• To make this an even heartier dish, add some soy "sausage." Simply slice 4 to 6 links into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and sauté in a small amount of olive oil until golden brown on most sides. Stir into the stew once it's done, or pass around the sautéed soy sausage for those who would like to add some to their stew.
• Per serving:
• Calories: 270
• Total fat: 5g
• Protein: 12g
• Fiber: 10g
• Carbohydrate: 42g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 48mg