Heirloom Bean Gratin
Use any of our dry beans for this hearty and flavorful gratin. It is simple to prepare and you can flavor it as you wish. This is delicious as a side on a cold winter night or can serve as a main course paired with a salad for a lighter meal. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this dish suitable for all.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup dry beans
- salt
- 3 shallots
- 2 carrot diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- herbs of choice sage and rosemary are nice.
- 3/4 cup tomato fresh or canned
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
Soak the beans overnight, rinse and cook them using this tip on Cooking Dry Beans. If time allows, let them cool in their liquid.
Prepare the vegetables, garlic and herbs. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add 1/3 c. of the olive oil. Sauté the vegetables until tender. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Taste at this point and add any amount of salt that suits your taste.
Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Mix the beans with the vegetables, add more salt to taste, and place them in a medium-sized oiled baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Add the reserved bean liquid to almost cover the beans. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 F. Add reserved liquid if beans start to dry out.
photos: CCF staff