French Stewed White Beans is traditionally served with Seven Hour Roasted Leg of Lamb. But it makes a wonderful accompaniment to almost any French red meat main entree, also.

French Stewed White Beans Recipe-

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried white cannellini beans, soaked overnight
• 6 large cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme and parsley and 1 bay leaf, bound together with kitchen twine
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 large white onion, peeled and cut in half
• Freshly ground course sea salt and black peppercorns, to taste
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. crème fraiche
• 4 thick slices bacon, crispy cooked and crumbled into bits, for garnish

Directions:

1. Drain your beans and put them into a 4-qt. saucepan with 6 cups water, 4 garlic cloves, and the bundled herbs. (if you are going to serve your French Stewed White Beans with Seven Hour Roasted Leg of Lamb, do this about 5-1/2 hours into the lamb roasting)
2. Take the onion halves and insert the cloves into them by “stabbing” the clove stems into the curved surfaces.
3. Bring water to a vigorous boil, then turn heat down to where the beans are cooking at just a lively simmer, and let simmer until tender—about an hour usually does the trick. While they simmer, fry or broil the bacon until crispy, then crumble them into bits and set aside.
4. Take the pot off the burner, season the beans to taste with salt and pepper, and strain them in a colander or large sieve over a bowl—you want to retain the cooking liquid—then discard the herb bundle and put the beans back into the pot.
5. Put oil, crème fraiche, ¼ cup of the cooking liquid, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, and 2 cups of the cooked beans into a blender and purée, then stir the puréed bean mixture and 1 cup of the cooking liquid back into the pot; place the lid on tightly to keep warm if the rest of your meal entrees are not yet finished cooking.
6. Serve your French Stewed White Beans while nice and hot, but not scalding hot.

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