French Flageolet Beans Food

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.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH FLAGEOLET BEANS

Steps:

• For the Beans:.
• Rinse, pick over and soak the flageolet beans in cold water overnight.
• Drain the soaked beans and place them in a large pot with the bouquet garni, carrot and onion.
• Cover with the 3 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours or until the beans are thoroughly cooked.
• Bring the 2 quarts of salted water to a boil, add the green beans, and cook about 12 minutes or until crisp-cooked.
• Drain and refresh under cold running water.
• For the Lamb:.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Poke the leg of lamb with the tip of a knife in various spots and insert slivers of garlic into the slits.
• Make a bed of the onion and carrot in the bottom of a roasting pan and place the lamb on the vegetables and the roasting pan in the oven.
• Reduce heat to 350°F and roast for about one hour and twenty minutes for a rare roast (165°F internal Temperature) up to two hours for a well-done roast (175° to 180°F).
• Remove lamb to a platter and add the white wine and water to the roasting pan, mixing well to scrape up all carmelized juices from the bottom of the pan.
• Strain through a fine sieve and season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• To Serve:.
• Reheat the flageolets and season with salt and pepper.
• Reheat the green beans in a skillet with a little butter and season with salt and pepper.
• Carve the lamb, place the slices on a large platter on a bed of the flageolets (or white beans) surrounded by the green beans and douse the meat with some of the sauce.
• Serve additional sauce on the side.

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.

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.