Flageolet Bean

A super mild European-style classic heirloom bean, known for its pairing with lamb but excellent as a pot bean and with roasted tomatoes. 

We owe a lot to France for developing the Flageolet from what were originally beans native to the Americas. It's ultra-creamy and dense and it stays whole despite a little rough treatment when being cooked.

This mild, creamy bean is famous, and rightly so, for teaming with lamb or even fish, but don't let vegetarian options slip by. Roasted tomatoes and garlic mixed with the cooked, super creamy beans, topped with a drizzle of your very best olive oil, sounds like an end-of-summer highlight.

Some bean historians think they can trace Flageolets to Oaxaca, Mexico. We know they have been bred in France for generations. Flageolet are mostly mint green, with some of the beans closer to white. They would be all green if growers could manage to get the entire field to ripen at the same time, which is next to impossible. A greater or lesser amount of white in the mix isn't an indication of quality; they all cook up to a light tan color.

Pot beans, soups, salads, casseroles, dips

Traditionally loved with spring lamb or in cassoulet-type dishes, but we love them best with roasted garlic and tomatoes as a side dish with most anything.

Check beans for debris, and rinse thoroughly. In a large pot, sauté aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, celery, carrot, etc.) in olive oil. Add beans and enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a full boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, using a lid to help regulate the heat, and gently cook until done, 1 to 3 hours. Salt when the beans start to soften. A pre-soak of 2 to 6 hours will lessen the cooking time.