Lima Bean Gratin
Lima Bean Gratin is creamy, rich and tangy with lots of leeks and shallots and white wine cream sauce topped with cheese and breadcrumbs for Thanksgiving.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 cup leeks white and bright green; rinsed, trimmed and chopped
- 2 cups shallots; peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic clove; peeled and chopped
- 1 habanero pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup vegetables stock
- 1 cup cream
- 2 pounds frozen lima beans I’ve used favas, soy, etc. in a pinch or for variety
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley; divided
- 1 cup white wine
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- sea salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- In a food processor or by hand, finely mince the parsley and reserve.
- In a food processor or by hand, finely dice (mince works too) the leeks, shallots, habanero, and thyme.
- Add butter to a large sauté pan and melt.
- Add the shallot, leek, etc. mixture and cook low and slow until very soft.
- Add the wine. Cook until it’s completely evaporated.
- Add the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the stock, cream, and limas. Cook until heated through.
- Add half of the parsley.
- Taste and season to you liking.
- Butter a 3 quart baking pan*.
- Add the creamy lima bean mixture.
- Mix together the parmigiano reggiano, breadcrumbs and remaining parsley.
- Top the gratin with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.
- Broil for a minute or two if not crunchy enough.
Serve hot.
Notes
This is another one of those plan-ahead with your food processor recipes. I always look at everything that will need chopping and then process it all in order of flavor contamination concerns. In one quick go, I processed the chopped ingredients for my Cranberry Relish (first because it isn’t savory), Pepper Jelly (second because the cranberry adds to the flavor), Jerk seasoning for Jerk Turkey Legs (third because it also has pepper), Thanksgiving style Peas and Rice, (fourth because it has peppers), and Lima Bean Gratin (last because it’s the most mild). This way I only wash it once for five dishes. Talk about a time saver.
*You could probably squish it into a 2 quart. Or lots of cute little mini cocottes. I used these for my gluten free friends and just left off the topping.
Gratins are great to make ahead. Just bake it off completely and cover with foil and refrigerate for a day or two. To reheat, remove from refrigerator an hour before you put it in the oven. Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.
*You could probably squish it into a 2 quart. Or lots of cute little mini cocottes. I used these for my gluten free friends and just left off the topping.
Gratins are great to make ahead. Just bake it off completely and cover with foil and refrigerate for a day or two. To reheat, remove from refrigerator an hour before you put it in the oven. Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.