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New York Times Heirloom Bean Ragout

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 1 ¼ pounds fresh shell beans, such as Sunset Runner or Runner Cannellini runner beans, shelled (about 1 3/4 to 2 cups, shelled)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 plump garlic cloves; 1 crushed, 2 minced
  • Bouquet garni made with a few sprigs parsley and thyme, Parmesan rind and a bay leaf, wrapped in a leek leaf and tied with twine
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and cut in 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 good-size pattypan squash or other summer squash, quartered and sliced
  • 1/4 inch thick (about 2 cups)
  • Slivered fresh basil leaves for garnish
  • Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Preparation:

In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, combine the beans, onion, crushed garlic clove, bouquet garni and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard onion and garlic clove.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add leeks and celery. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and stir in minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly, about 10 minutes.

Stir leek and tomato mixture into beans, along with summer squash. Bring back to a simmer and cook 15 minutes, until beans are creamy-tender but intact and the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove bouquet garni.

Ladle ragout into wide bowls. Top each serving with a generous sprinkling of slivered basil leaves and a spoonful of Parmesan.

Vegetarian Cassoulet Melissa R.at Epicurious

  1. For cassoulet
    1. 3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
    2. 4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
    3. 3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
    4. 4 garlic cloves, chopped
    5. 1/4 cup olive oil
    6. 4 thyme sprigs
    7. 2 parsley sprigs
    8. 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
    9. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
    10. 1 pound pre-cooked Chili Smith Cannellini beans, Hutterite Soup, Green Flageolet, or Tarbais Of Lodi
    11. 1-quart water
  2. For garlic crumbs:
    1. 4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette
    2. 1/3 cup olive oil
    3. 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
    4. 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preparation:

  1. Make Cassoulet:
    1. Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry.
    2. Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, then water, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.
  2. Make garlic crumbs while cassoulet simmers:
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle
    2. Toss breadcrumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
    3. Toss breadcrumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Finish cassoulet:
    1. 1. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Mash some of the beans in a pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken the broth. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic crumbs.

Yield Makes 4 to 6 servings Active Time 30 min Total Time 1 1/4 hr.

Per serving: 516 calories, 23g fat (3g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 64g carbohydrates, 12g fiber, 16g protein

Cassoulet Chili Smith Family Foods

Beans:

  • 2 Tsp. Butter
  • ½ cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 2 lb. of our Chili Smith Hutterite, Tarbais Of Lodi, or Green Flagolet beans)
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 16 cups water
  • 2 bay leaf

Meats:

  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup oil
  • 2 cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 16 each duck confit, duck legs
  • 2 lb. Andouille sausage links cut into 16 equal portions
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 lb. Roasted duck, cut into 2-inch pieces

Gratine:

  • 1 ½ cups dried fine breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup grated parmesan6 Tsp. Parsley, chopped
  • 4 tsp. Essence, recipe follows
  • 4 Tsp. Olive oil

Garnish:

  • Chives, chopped
  • Crusty Bread

Beans:

  • 2 Tsp. Butter
  • ½ cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 2 lb. of our Chili Smith Hutterite, Tarbais Of Lodi, or Green Flagolet beans)
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 16 cups water
  • 2 bay leaf

Meats:

  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup oil
  • 2 cup onions, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 16 each duck confit, duck legs
  • 2 lb. Andouille sausage links cut into 16 equal portions
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 lb. Roasted duck, cut into 2-inch pieces

Gratine:

  • 1 ½ cups dried fine breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup grated parmesan6 Tsp. Parsley, chopped
  • 4 tsp. Essence, recipe follows
  • 4 Tsp. Olive oil

Garnish:

  • Chives, chopped
  • Crusty Bread

Essence:

Yield 2/3 cup

  • 5 Tsp. Paprika
  • 4 Tsp. salt
  • 4 Tsp. Garlic powder
  • 2 Tsp. Black pepper
  • 2 Tsp. Onion powder
  • 2 Tsp. Cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tsp. Dried leaf oregano
  • 2 Tsp. Dried thyme

Method of Cooking:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees For the beans: In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Sauté the onions and celery for 4 minutes, or until they are slightly wilted. Add the beans, salt, cayenne, water, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until beans are tender and most of the water is absorbed about 2 hours.

For the meats: In a large ovenproof skillet, over medium-high heat, combine the flour and oil. Stirring constantly, make a medium brown roux. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, carrots, salt, and cayenne. Stirring constantly, cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are slightly wilted. Add the duck legs and sausages and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add the chicken broth and stir the mixture until the roux and broth are combined and mixture thickens. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any brown particles. Bring to a boil. Add the beans and duck meat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30-40 minutes.

For the Gratine: In a mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, Essence, and olive oil. Mix well. When the bean meat mixture is cooked, spoon the Gratine evenly over the top and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon a serving of the mixture from the pan onto a plate and garnish with Essence, chopped chives, and crusty bread.

What about the gas???!

We love this question and actually have an answer for greatly reducing the amusical toot!a

What causes the gas and flocculants is the sugars that seep from the beans during soaking and cooking. The sugars that are now in the cooking water mix with the enzymes in our lower intestines as our bodies try to break down the sugars and Yippee!  We have successfully made our bodies into little refineries!

Here is what we do to help with this:

  1. Rinse the dry beans several times with cool, clean water.
  2. Soak the beans for several hours until fully expanded.
  1. Stir these beans
  2. Drain the water off
  3. Cover the beans again with cool, clean water, we add salt and onion, bring to boil
  4. Reduce and allow simmering for forty minutes or an hour a until softened.
  5. Turn off the heat and allow beans to rest in the water for ten or fifteen minutes.
  6. Drain the water off and cool the beans with cool, clean water to stop the cooling process.
  7. After thoroughly cool, drain off water and beans are ready to use.

Some thinking is that we are draining off the flavor and nutrients, to say nothing of the amount of fresh water this all requires. This is a good and valid point. We use good quality bases or stock to our soups and chili products, which creates a wonderful flavor without excessive gas.

We are told that continual and regular consumption of beans will allow our bodies to adjust and better handle the sugars a but this is also a different dietary concern a in our slim and trim society. Have you ever noticed how happy and healthy natives to Mexico and other high bean consumption areas are? Itas the beans!

We donat know about over the counter products claiming to reduce gas a IE, Beano and others. Maybe some of you can help us with other ideas to keep the amusical fruita under control.