Flageolet Artichoke Bean Gratin
Ingredients
½ C. flageolet
1 tsp olive oil
sprig of thyme
¼ onion diced
1 garlic clove pressed
1 Bay Leaf
fresh thyme leaves
2 artichoke hearts diced
2 Tbsp diced onion
Thin slices of almond dill cheese (omit)
1 Tbsp almond milk
Spelt Bread Crumbs
Preparation
Soak the beans for three days in water. Rinse daily under running water placing the beans in a sieve. After rinsing place the beans back into a bowl and cover with two inches of fresh water. This reduces the phytic acid making the beans easier to digest and limits the internal gas produced by a body. If one takes soaking beans to a full sprouting stage, these beans are then thought to be more alkaline producing as the phytic acid is greatly diminished.
Add olive oil and sauté the chopped onion, the garlic. Add the previously soaked beans that have been rinsed for a final time. Add 3 cups of fresh water, the bay leaf, a sprig of fresh thyme and cook until tender so the beans are still formed and not falling apart – about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile steam the artichoke. Trim the heart away, eliminate the choke, and cut it into fourths. Drain the beans. Place them in a ramekin dish or two individual dishes. Add diced onion, sliced artichoke hearts, top with thin slices of soft goat cheese or almond dill cheese; can omit as the beans themselves will become quite creamy, a tablespoon of almond milk and sprinkle fresh thyme leaves and spelt bread crumbs over the top. Roast in the oven at 350ºF for about twenty minutes. Before serving give a twist of the pepper mill and sprinkle lightly with Himalayan pink salt.
