White Bean Ragu
In a medium sauté pan, sauté the following over medium high heat:
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2 shallots minced
- ½ white onion minced
- 1 cup finely-sliced clean leeks
- Salt and pepper to taste
Once they start getting color, add
- 2 cups soaked white beans or 1 can white beans rinsed
- 2 cups fish or vegetable stock
- 1 cup white wine
PREPARE THE MUSHROOMS AND FISH
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter or olive oil
- 2 cups assorted mushrooms
- 6 additional tablespoons butter
OPTIONAL RECIPE – FUMET
- ½ white onion diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 leek top
- 3 stalks of celery
- 1 bunch parsley stems
- 1 bunch thyme
- 4 bay leaves
After sweating the aromatics, add:
- 1 winter flounder rack
- 2 cups bright white wine
- Enough water to cover
Instructions
- Reduce until the liquid is almost gone and add the blanched nettles.*
- In a blender (or using an immersion blender), blend the mixture until half the beans are puréed.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, add clarified butter or olive oil, and sauté the mushrooms until tender, remove from the pan and reserve on the side. Assorted oyster mushrooms are perfect for the dish, but if you want a more luxurious experience you can use blonde morels which are also in season.
- In the same pan, add the 6 tablespoons of butter and the three lightly steamed roulades of fish, season with salt and pepper, and butter-baste the fish constantly until it is hot in the center, about 2-3 minutes. Do not turn the roulades. This will give them a nice sear on the bottom.
- Add the juice of one Meyer lemon and the mushrooms to the butter just before you plate.
- To plate: in a warm bowl or coupe plate, add two big spoonfuls of the bean ragu to cover the base of the plate, then top with the three roulades and mushrooms.
- Garnish with chopped parsley, dill, chives and some Meyer lemon zest.
- If you're looking to up your at-home chef skills, instead of using fish or vegetable stock, try making your own fumet. Check with your local fishmonger about purchasing a whole flounder to fillet at home, or just the fish rack (or frame) when purchasing your filets.
- In a small stock pot, lightly sweat the following:
- Simmer for 45 minutes, then strain the solids out, reserving the liquid.
Notes
