Simple Flageolets Beans, French-style

These Flageolets beans offer a nice change, I grew up eating them on their own or accompanying lamb.

Do you know you’ve achieved maturity (read: getting old) when you start finding youth endearing? It’s a complex feeling, that of endearment, isn’t it? It requires distance. And understanding. And there’s a quietness, a patience to it too. You can’t be endeared in a hurry. You can be endeared, sitting on a bench, watching others chomping at the bit. There’s sense memory in endearment. I don’t think you can be endeared by something completely unfamiliar. It’s endearing because it is familiar, because we’ve been through the same thing, a long while ago, unaware. Endearment is empathy for the good. You empathize with someone’s pain, and you are endeared by their enthusiasm. It is a quiet smile, with just a twinge of sadness to it, of nostalgia. It’s looking inward and outward at the same time.

So with age, and motherhood, and life’s struggles, I have felt myself getting wiser (let’s call it that…) these days, endeared by the very enthusiastic young woman at my workout class, giving it all she’s got; by the happy child-less young couple who has lots of time to savor young love; by the new mom in the throes of hormones and mad love for her very own little human; by the teenage boy discovering independance and soon, love and lust; by the toddler waving and smiling at strangers, expecting their attention. 

It’s all relative of course, and much wiser people than me probably find me endearing for all those things I am currently in the throes of. It must be the secret of youth. To always be in the throes of something.

My mother, for example, watches me get excited about recipes, frantically plan and make lists of meals, ingredients, ideas. The latest spark of excitement coming from an oak and tea-infused caramel ice cream recipe by the talented and endearing Beth on {local milk}, which I will be (hopefully) impressing friends with very soon. Meanwhile, my mother quietly and patiently soaks and simmers flageolet beans. I’m on all fours photographing sardines, as she adds a few sprigs of thyme and cloves of garlic, stirring gently. Sometimes good is all we need. So we may feel gentle contentment, and be endeared by the fancy, the delirious, the ambitious, the young.

I’ve been wanting to share this very simple, quiet, yet delicious recipe for some time. Flageolets beans are beans very commonly consumed in France (mostly cooked and canned), though can be tricky to find in the US. I have found them recently in stores like Whole Foods or specialty food stores, in the form of dried beans (they are apparently grown in California, but I have never seen them fresh). I have seen them described as “the caviar of beans”. Small and pale green, they have a very delicate flavor, and are delicious with leg of lamb, an Easter favorite.

I guess I am young and old. Endeared by some, and endearing to others. That’s life. Sometimes, I like to share “fancy” exciting recipes, and sometimes, a quiet one, like the simple ratatouille I posted recently, or this one.

Flageolets beans, à la française

2 ways: My mother's recipe or in the Instant Pot (approved by French mom ;))

4.75 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Soaking time (If not using Instant Pot) 12 hours hrs

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb dried flageolets beans
• 7-8 pearl onions, peeled but whole*
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (and/or rosemary)
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 whole garlic cloves peeled
• A few sprigs of fresh Italian parsley for garnish
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for Instant Pot recipe)

Instructions

 

• Soak the flageolets beans in cold water (at room temperature) for 12-16  hours.
• Drain and rinse the beans. Put in a large pot. Add the onions, thyme, garlic and bay leaf.
• Add enough water to cover the beans (the water level should be about 2 inches above the beans).
• Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let gently simmer for about 1 hour, until the beans are tender. (Add some hot water throughout if there isn't enough).
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• With scissors, cut some Italian parsley leaves over the beans, mix lightly, and serve.
• Note: This is one of those dishes that’s even better the next day. You can keep refrigerated and reheat over low heat or even in the microwave. We usually make enough for a couple of meals, have them with pan-fried leg of lamb steaks one night, and with chicken or fish the next day.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS (No Soak Needed)

• Place dry beans (unsoaked), bay leaf, thyme & rosemary, garlic cloves, pearl onions, salt & olive oil in the Instant Pot and add 8 cups of water.
• Enter 45 min on Manual High Pressure, and then go with Natural release (wait til the pressure is off completely on its own – the whole process took 1h 45 min). They will have a soft and creamy texture.
• Drain some of the cooking water, remove herbs.
• Adjust seasoning, garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Age: I started to give those to Pablo around 8-9 months. They make pretty good finger foods (as all beans) when baby is mastering that pincer grasp, but they are very soft and easy to gum down.

*If you don’t have pearl onions on hand, you could use a couple of shallots, or simply a small onion, quartered, for flavor. Remove it before serving.

**This same recipe works well with Cannellini beans, if you don’t have flageolets.

***Can be refrigerated for 3-4 days, or frozen. 

Keyword flageolet recipe, Flageolets Beans à la Française, french flageolets, instant pot flageolets

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• Also Read: A BLACK BEAN BISQUE | SMOKED SALMON GREEN BEAN ROLLS