White Bean Ragout With Toast Recipes

WHITE BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Add the garlic and cook one minute more.
• Add the tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I use about 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, but it depends on what type of beans you use; canned will have some salt already.) Bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes are slightly softened but still hold their shape, 3-5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Note that the sauce may have a strong vinegar flavor at first, but it will mellow out. Right before serving, stir in the fresh basil and mint. Transfer to serving dish, garnish with more fresh herbs if desired, and serve hot.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

WHITE BEAN RAGOûT WITH LEMON OIL AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place beans in large pot. Add enough cold water to cover beans by 3 inches; let stand overnight. Drain.
• Return beans to same pot. Add 8 cups water; onion and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Drain beans; transfer to baking pan. Discard onion and bay leaves.
• Meanwhile, combine oil and lemon slices in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over low heat until lemon slices are translucent, about 5 minutes. Let cool uncovered 30 minutes. Strain lemon oil into bowl. Transfer 4 lemon slices to plate; cut in half and reserve (discard remaining lemon slices). (Beans, cooking liquid, lemon oil and lemons can be prepared 1 day ahead. Chill separately.)
• Heat 4 tablespoons lemon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, 1 cup reserved cooking liquid, remaining lemon oil, herbs and lemon juice to mushrooms. Simmer over medium heat 5 minutes to blend flavors. Cool completely.
• Stir chopped tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese into bean mixture season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon bean mixture onto platter. Garnish with halved lemon slices.

WHITE BEAN RAGOUT CROSTINI WITH RED ONION JAM

Steps:

• Note: Beans do not need to be soaked. Rinse beans and place in an All-Clad 3.5 quart round oven. Cover with 8 cups water and add carrot, celery, shallot, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and continue to cook over very low heat until beans are soft, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove vegetables and bay leaf. Drain liquid from beans and return to pot. Mash with a potato masher until smooth, but still somewhat textured. Season with remaining 2 teaspoons salt, olive oil and lemon juice and mix well.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and salt and saute until soft and somewhat translucent, about 15 minutes. Add wine, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and reduce heat to low. Continue to cook until liquid is almost completely gone, about 30 minutes longer. Stir in red wine vinegar and check seasoning, adding more vinegar if desired.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and arrange in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets. Bake until golden and crispy, about 15 minutes. As soon as the bread is cool enough to handle, rub one side with garlic clove to infuse with flavor. Top each crostini with about 1 tablespoon bean ragout and 1 1/2 teaspoons of onion jam. Top with mint chiffonade and drizzle with olive oil.

QUICK WHITE BEAN AND CELERY RAGOUT

Steps:

• Combine the stock, oil, celery, zucchini and scallions in a large, deep skillet; season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, adding the beans halfway through, about 10 minutes total. If you'd like to make it brothier, add 1/3 cup vegetable stock and warm for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide among shallow bowls. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche, drizzle with pesto and top with celery leaves. Serve with couscous or grilled bread.

BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• In a large saucepan cook beans in boiling water for 30 minutes until tender. Drain.
• Heat oil, garlic and shallots over medium heat until golden. Add beans and stir until nicely coated with oil. Add chicken stock and simmer until 1/3 liquid remains, about 15 to 20 minutes Add butter and cook until thickened. Finish with grated lemon zest and parsley. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring cider to a boil and reduce by 3/4. Drizzle on plate.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN RAGOUT

Steps:

• Strain the cooking liquid from the beans and reserve(you should have about 2 cups of liquid-add water if necessary to reach this amount). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it turns white and fragrant, only aobut 30 seconds. Stir in the onions, rosemary, and chili. Cook gently until the onions are very soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans and enough bean cooking liquid to make the mixture brothy; simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in the escarole or spinach; simmer until it is all wilted. Add the tomatoes, butter, parsley, and cheese if using. Remove from the heat, and stir until the butter is melted in, adding additional bean liquid as necessary to keep it brothy. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.
• Note:.
• This stew can be prepared just up to adding wscarole. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The flavors will marry and the dish will be even better.