side for jay’s lamb: flageolet beans, mirepoix, garlic, rosemary, thyme, stock.
- In a medium bowl, cover a pound of flageolet beans by a few inches with cold water. Soak for 4-8 hours.
- Small dice two small onions, a medium carrot, and a stalk of celery. Sweat all of this in several tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven, until the vegetables are translucent. (Don’t season yet!)
- Smash 4 peeled cloves of garlic with the side of a chef’s knife. Add the garlic to the pot along with a large sprigs of rosemary, several sprigs of thyme, and a couple of bay leaves. Stir and cook for another minute or two. (Still no salt!)
- Turn the heat up to high, and add the beans, with their soaking water, to the pot. Top off the pot with chicken or vegetable stock (or just plain water), until the beans are comfortably covered with liquid. Bring to a hard boil for 5 minutes, stirring often, and them bring down to a simmer.
- Simmer until the beans are tender, about an hour and a half (though this time can vary widely depending on your beans and other variables). Now you can add salt. Simmer for another ten minutes so that the beans can absorb the salt, tasting a few times in case more is needed.
- Serve the beans with some of their liquor, drizzled with olive oil with some crusty bread on the side. Or use it as a side dish. Flageolet beans are classic with lamb.
