Aromatic European Butter Beans with Cherry Tomatoes, Rosemary & Herbes de Provence
The first time I had these we were driving through the countryside from Beaune, France to Lyon. We stopped at a gas station and there they were. Of all places, but then again, it was France and the food is pretty much good almost everywhere. Why? Fresh, seasonal ingredients. It does not have to be hard or time consuming to have good food. Just use the best and freshest ingredients available for that time of year. I have spent years trying to recreate the flavorful beans we had and I think I finally got them just how I wanted them. I have served them as an appetizer on an appetizer table with Mediterranean food and also as a side dish. My family’s favorite is topped with a thick seared pork chop coated in Montreal spice and then seared in olive oil.
The nicest thing about these beans are that they do not require pre-soaking overnight as other beans do.
Prep Time : 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6 for dinner as a side dish or 10 as an appetizer with crusty bread
Ingredients:
1 lb dried butter beans (In Europe they call these Butter Beans, in the States we refer to them as Lima Beans)
5 Bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, sliced longwise
1 can whole cherry tomatoes or 1 can of chopped tomatoes or 2 pints of fresh grape tomatoes *
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
5 Tbs parsley, roughly chopped
3 Tbs olive oil
½ cup white wine
½ tsp Herbs de Provence
Directions:
Place the dried beans into a pot. Cover with water. Add bay leaves and 1 Tbs salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium, add the garlic and toast lightly. Do not burn the garlic as it will impart a bitter flavor to your beans. Add the drained beans and the bay leaves to the skillet. Remove the leaves from the rosemary by holding the stalk in your hand and dragging your fingers down the stalk. Add the 15 oz can of tomatoes with all of the juice. Add the rosemary leaves, salt, Herbs de Provence and the wine. Simmer until the liquid is gone, stir by folding delicately, but make sure not to break up the beans too much. You do not want to overcook the butter beans.
*If using fresh cherry tomatoes, cut 1 pint in half and keeps the other pint whole. Simmer the tomatoes in a small saucepan for 10 minutes in ¾ cup water first with a little salt and pepper before adding to the skillet.
Serve with Crusty Bread