White Beans Provencal By Ina Garten Recipes

ROSEMARY WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
• In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

QUICK AND EASY WHITE BEAN SOUP PROVENCAL

Steps:

• In the bottom of a large pot, add olive oil and heat over medium heat.
• Add onions, zucchini, eggplant and garlic. Sauté for several minutes to soften onions, stirring often.
• When the onions become translucent, add all of the rest of the ingredients. Add enough vegetable broth and/or water to cover ingredients.
• Bring the soup up to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or so until the eggplant is tender. Stir the soup every few minutes or so during the simmering time.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a nice hearty crusty bread.

FRENCH FLAGEOLET BEANS

Steps:

• The night before cooking, place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with water by 1 inch. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Drain the beans, rinse well, and drain again. In a large ovenproof pot such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-low heat, add the bacon, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bacon starts to brown. Add the onion, fennel, and carrots and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften but aren't browned. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Add the flageolets to the pot and stir in the broth, bay leaves, and rosemary. (Don't be tempted to add salt! The beans will become tough.) Add 2 cups of water, which should just cover the beans, and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover the pot tightly and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and return the pot to the oven without the lid. Raise the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 45 more minutes. The beans will be very tender and there will be just a little liquid in the bottom of the pan. (If the beans are dry, add a little more water.) Discard the bay leaves and rosemary. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

WHITE BEAN CASSOULET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges. Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.

WHITE BEAN SOUP PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Make pesto. Process everything in a food processor or blender until combined. Set aside.
• For the soup, combine all of the ingredients except tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, pepper and pesto in a slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low until beans are tender; 7-8 hours.
• Add lemon juice and tomatoes during last 30 minutes of cooking time.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of mixed herb pesto into each bowl of soup.

INA GARTEN'S BRAISED 4-HOUR LAMB & PROVENCAL FRENCH BEANS RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a very large Dutch oven such as Le Creuset over medium-high heat until its hot. Add the lamb and sear on all sides for about 12 minutes, until its browned all over. Remove the lamb to a plate. Add the wine and 2 cups of water to the pan and cook for a minute or two, scraping up all the brown bits in the bottom. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves and the lamb on top. Place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 4 hours, basting occasionally. (If you dont have a lid, you can cover it tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil.) After 4 hours, the lamb should be incredibly tender and falling off the bone. Remove the lamb to a plate, cover it tightly with foil and allow it to rest. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. The lamb will be too tender to slice; serve it warm with spoons and the sauce. Note: Before you buy the lamb, measure the diameter of your pot. If the lamb is longer than your pot, ask the butcher to cut off the shank end of the lamb and cook both pieces together in the same pot. Beans: Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Soak in the refrigerator overnight. Drain the beans, place in a large saucepan with the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes*, until tender but not mushy. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving the stock. Note: I found that I needed to cook the beans for 1 1/2 hours, because they were a little too firm for my own personal liking. Adjust cooking time to your own personal taste. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, then add the onions, diced carrots, and celery, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Add the parsley, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beans and 2 cups of the cooking stock. (If you dont have enough liquid, add additional stock or water to make 2 cups.) Cook for 15 minutes until the stock makes a little sauce, adding more stock if necessary. Finish with the Parmesan cheese. Serve with a garnish of chopped parsley. Tasting note: I was thinking the beans didn't have much flavor, until I added the Parmesan cheese. Wow, that made a big difference!