Flageolet Beans for the First Snow

The first snow of the season came late, but it came on strong. Yesterday was our first blizzard, and anyone who could stayed home and hunkered down.

Seemed like a good day for a pot of beans! In my latest shipment from Rancho Gordo I received a pound of flageolet beans. Everywhere you read about them, they are lauded as special beans. Light green and delicate, the food sites recommend you enjoy them for what their inherent gorgeous bean-ness.

Hmm. These kinds of statements always remind me of my brother, the wine salesman, telling me about a particular white wine he put in my Christmas box: “It’s not so much what it is as what it is not.” To which I wanted to reply: “So, does it taste good?” I’m not that impressed with most bean-ness (though I gotta say, I can taste the difference between hummus made with canned beans and the hummus I made the other day with Rancho Gordo dried garbanzos. I’m gonna get ruined like my brother has ruined me for wines).

After surveying the wide range of recipes, I decided to not make soup but just cook a pot of beans in a good broth, and the secret flavor ingredient bacon.

I went out in the snow and brought in what I assume are the last of the fresh herbs: rosemary for the recipe, and also thyme and sage. I actually think the sage was a mistake– I’d use just the rosemary and thyme in the future.

I hadn’t thought ahead to soak the beans overnight, so I brought the pot to a boil and then let it sit for a couple hours (quick soak). Then I drained and rinsed them and put them back in the pot and simmered for 30 minutes while I prepared the other ingredients. This also produced an excellent bean broth to which I added a vegetable broth bullion cube.

The recipe also called for fennel, which would be great, but I didn’t have any. So I substituted celery (diced and frozen from the Farmer’s Market).

First, render the bacon, then saute the mirepoix in bacon grease. Seriously.

The other change I made was to add a splash of white balsamic at the end. I got this from somewhere else, but I always love a splash of vinegar at the end as a flavor enhancer.

I had some thawed boneless chicken thighs, so I made some cutlets (didn’t bother breading them) marinated in lemon juice, cooked in more lemon juice and capers, served with sauteed mushrooms on top.

Here is the link to Ina Garten’s recipe.