Categories: April

Ingredients

• 450g dried flageolet beans
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, plus 3 finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 bouquet garni
• 6 small poussins, about 500g each
• 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 75g butter, softened
• 3 trimmed leeks, washed and sliced
• grated zest of 1 large lemon
• good handful chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Directions

1. The day before, cover the flageolet beans with plenty of cold water in a large container and soak overnight.

2. The next day, drain the beans and rinse under cold running water. Put the drained beans into a large saucepan with the onion, whole garlic cloves, carrots, celery and bouquet garni. Cover with plenty of cold water (by at least 5cm) and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1.5 hours, or until the beans are very tender but still holding their shape.

3. Preheat the oven to 220˚C/fan 200˚C/gas 7. After the beans have been cooking for 30 minutes, cook the poussins. Pop a rosemary sprig into each and rub all over with 35g softened butter. Put into a large roasting tin, making sure there is a little space between each poussin. Season and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thigh.

4. About 5 minutes before you take out the poussins, melt the remaining butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring, until just softened. Remove the poussins from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes.
5. Drain the beans, reserving most of the cooking liquid, and leave the beans in the pan. Discard the bouquet garni. Put about a quarter of the beans and vegetables (including all the garlic) in a food processor and whizz for 1 minute. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid and process to give a thick sauce. Stir this back into the beans and season. Discard the remaining bean cooking liquid. Stir the cooked leeks into the beans.
6. Make the gremolata by mixing the zest, chopped garlic and parsley. To serve, divide the beans between 6 warm plates. Discard the string from the poussins, sit each on top of the beans and sprinkle with the gremolata.

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