Shell Bean Ragout

Name: Shell Bean Ragout
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 to 1 1/4 pounds fresh shell beans, such as borlotti or scarlet runner beans, shelled (about 1 3/4 to 2 cups, shelled); 1/2 onion; 3 plump garlic cloves; 1 crushed, 2 minced; Bouquet garni made with a few sprigs parsley and thyme, Parmesan rind and a bay leaf, wrapped in a leek leaf and tied with twine; Salt; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and cut in 1/2-inch slices; 1 celery stalk, chopped; 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (about 3/4 pound); Ground black pepper; 1 good-size pattypan squash or other summer squash, quartered and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 2 cups); Slivered fresh basil leaves for garnish; Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 5(120)
Comments: Read comments

Shell beans take less than half the time to cook than their dried counterparts. Look for varieties such as mottled pink and white cranberry beans, also known as borlotti beans; large scarlet runner beans that are mottled and purple, despite the name; and pale yellow cannellini beans.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1 to 1¼pounds fresh shell beans, such as borlotti or scarlet runner beans, shelled (about 1¾ to 2 cups, shelled)
½onion
3plump garlic cloves; 1 crushed, 2 minced
Bouquet garni made with a few sprigs parsley and thyme, Parmesan rind and a bay leaf, wrapped in a leek leaf and tied with twine
Salt
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and cut in ½-inch slices
1celery stalk, chopped
1cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (about ¾ pound)
Ground black pepper
1good-size pattypan squash or other summer squash, quartered and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 2 cups)
Slivered fresh basil leaves for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, combine the shell beans, onion, crushed garlic clove, bouquet garni and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard onion and garlic clove.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add leeks and celery. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and stir in minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Stir leek and tomato mixture into beans, along with summer squash. Bring back to a simmer and cook 15 minutes, until beans are creamy-tender but intact and the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove bouquet garni.
Step 4
Ladle ragout into wide bowls. Top each serving with a generous sprinkling of slivered basil leaves and a spoonful of Parmesan.

Ratings

5 out of 5

120 user ratings

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Comments

LiveToFish7 years ago

why discard onion and garlic? Let them cook in.

Charles in Montréal6 years ago

This was perfect summer food. I substituted the fresh basil, adding a dollop of my freshly made pesto instead (seeing as I had harvested a large quantity of basil from my garden yesterday). Need to let the plants have some peace and quiet for at least a few days. Added a very generous sprinkling of cheese despite the pesto, and some peppery olive oil to finish. A keeper recipe. Maybe a cheese free pistou would be better next. Also, simmer on VERY low heat as my beans were a bit over after 30 min

Mintie5 years ago

I left the garlic in but pulled out the onion. It's there to help flavor the beans (which is essential f you're using bigger beans like scarlet runners). For the ragout itself, its getting its aromatic taste from the leeks, which are distinct from and can be overpowered by a standard onion.

Jayna9 months ago

Great as written, but I took a page out of cook Lauren's notebook this week since we had a similar CSA overabundance. Added chard, sweet corn, extra tomatoes, extra squash, and used the black lentils we'd cooked a couple days ago rather than beans. I know, totally different this way, still delicious.

Kathleen2 years ago

This was delicious and easy to make! I had about 3 cup of shell beans, so I added some green beans and kale with the squash to get my greens in. I also chopped the onion (used a red one for gentler flavor) and left it in and doubled the garlic. I didn't have parsley, so added a sprig of sage instead to the bouquet garni and left out the parmesan rind (I'm allergic) and it was still really delicious. Oh, and I added 2 cups of my homemade chicken bone broth instead of water to cook the beans in.

Lauren2 years ago

Just made this again as directed, with one change... my tomatoes this year were a disaster, so I used my own canned tomatoes from last summer. Excellent!

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