White Bean and Mushroom Gratin
This substantial dish could serve as a side dish at Thanksgiving or a main course anytime. It helps to have high sides on your oven-safe 12-inch skillet because mine was filled to the brim, so I added a sheet pan under the skillet to catch any overflow. When broiling the top at the end, watch it like a hawk or it will burn. The recipe says to broil 4-7 minutes and mine got overdone after just 3 minutes! Serves 5-6.
Recipe
Topping:
5 c. sliced rustic bread into 1/2-inch cubes (4-5 slices Italian round loaf)
1/4 c. olive oil
3 T. fresh parsley, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
Mushrooms:
10 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced 1/2-inch
1/4 c. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1-1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1/3 c. dry sherry
(2) 15-oz. cans Great Northern beans with liquid
3 carrots, halved lengthwise, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
1 T. flour
1 c. water
1 T. fresh parsley, minced, for garnish
For the topping put the bread cubes in a large bowl and add olive oil, parsley and pepper. Mix well so all the cubes are coated and set aside.
Add 1/4 c. olive oil to skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-12 minutes until well browned.
Turn heat to medium and add the onion and cook until translucent, 4-6 minutes.
Turn heat to medium low and add the garlic, tomato paste and thyme, mashing the tomato paste into the skillet so it can toast and brown, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the dry sherry, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any cooked bits. Add the beans with liquid and carrots and stir.
Put 1 T. flour in a cup of water and whisk until smooth. Add to the pan and stir. Turn heat to high and let the mixture come to a boil across the entire surface of the pan. Turn off the heat and scatter the bread crumbs by hand in an even layer over the surface.
Transfer pan to the middle rack of a 300-degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Switch to broil until bread is toasty brown. Watch carefully, mine was overdone at just 3 minutes!
Remove from oven and let sit for 20 minutes before serving so gravy can thicken up. Sprinkle with 1 T. minced parsley and serve.