This dish is essentially beans in a garlic butter sauce. The proportion of garlic, however, is increased substantially to help form the body of the sauce. In this way the sauce is thicker, holds the butter better, and coats the beans in a rich, velvety texture that is not overly strong. This dish complements roasted meats and is an ideal substitute for mashed potatoes.
The choice of beans is up to you. I tend to favor pale-colored beans such as lima, flagolet, haricot or cranberry beans.
In this recipe a
mirepoix (chopped up stock vegetables) is used to flavor the beans. The mirepoix is enclosed in a muslin bag for easy removal. While not essential, cooking with a mirepoix will add flavor of the resulting dish. One shortcut is to simply cook the beans in
vegetable stock.
Serves 4-6 people
2
cups dried beans2
carrots1
leek1
large onion2
sticks celery2
bay leaves8
peppercorns, crushed1
muslin bag, or large sheet of cheesecloth4
tbsp butter2
tbsp minced shallots16
cloves garlic confit1
tbsp minced thyme2
tbsp red wine vinegar2
tbsp finely chopped parsley
Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl of water. If you don't have time for this, simply bring the beans to a boil in a pot of unsalted water, drain off the water and continue to the next step.
Place the beans in a large pot and cover with three times the height of water. Combine the carrots, leek, onion, celery, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a muslin bag and add this to the pot. Place over high heat and and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for one to two hours until tender. Cooking time will vary according to the bean used. While cooking, continue to add water as needed to keep the beans fully immersed. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add one tablespoon of salt.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and move it around with a wooden spoon as it melts. Add the shallots, garlic cloves and thyme and saute until softened. The garlic cloves will start to break down and form a sauce with the butter. Reduce the heat and add the beans and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the beans until the sauce sticks to the beans. If the sauce starts to get too thick, add some water to dilute until creamy.
Stir in the chopped parsley before serving.