Recipe: White Beans Confit
This dish was inspired by the pulpitos and white beans I ate recently at Xemei, making use of the small, kidney-bean shaped ganxet bean local to the Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, some parts of Maresme and la Selva. Here I’ve paired the beans with slow roasted lamb which has a lovely, summery flavor, but the dish also goes brilliantly with everything from grilled squid and baby octopus, to lamb chops and sausages. Great for summer barbecues.
INGREDIENTS
For the beans:
- 1 sweet white onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 500 g cooked ganxet (or cannelli beans), drained
- 1 glass of white wine, or stock
- 1 glass stock or water
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the lamb
- 1.5 kg shoulder of lamb
- 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp black olive infused salt
METHOD
For the beans:
- Sauté the onion and garlic with the bay leaves in olive oil until golden.
- Add the beans, wine and stock and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the sherry vinegar to the beans.
- Check for seasoning.
- Serve warm.
For the lamb
- Preheat the oven to 100ºC
- Combine the olive salt and oil well into the lamb and sear in a hot pan until the skin is golden
- Arrange the rosemary sprigs over a baking tray, place the lamb on top and bake for 1.5 to 2 hours until the flesh is tender and falling from the bone
- Serve in slices on top of the white beans confit, adding a layer of pimientos piquillos in between if desired to give a jolt of color.