Ingredients
- 1 cup dried Christmas Beans (or other dried beans of your choice)
- 1 cup Bluebird Emmer Farro
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 medium onion chopped small
- 1 large carrot chopped small
- 1 large stalk celery chopped small
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt kosher or sea salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh marjoram chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup chicken broth or used reserved bean cooking liquid
- 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs or Panko
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese or aged gouda cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Place the beans and farro in a large bowl, add 4 cups of cold water, cover and soak for 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the beans and farro in a large colander and place in a stock pot with 5 cups of cold water. *If you use filtered water here, you shouldn’t have to skim any scum from the surface of the water as the beans & grains cook.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 1 hour, until the beans are just tender. Drain the beans & farro over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid. Any liquid you don’t use in this recipe, you can use in any soup or stew to depth and flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- While the beans & grains are cooking, chop the onion, carrot celery, garlic and marjoram.
- Heat a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let heat through for about 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery, along with ½ teaspoon of salt and a few good grindings of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and marjoram and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and add the Dijon, vinegar, beans & farro, 1 teaspoon salt and ¾ cup stock or bean cooking liquid, stirring to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 1 Tb olive oil and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
- If you are the type of person who likes lots of crispy topping (you know who you are!) you can double the bread crumb topping and bake the gratin in a long shallow dish to maximize surface area. Pour the bean & farro mixture into a large dutch oven or gratin dish (or lasagna pan for the extra topping method). Coat evenly with the bread crumb mixture and place in the hot oven. Cook for 45 – 60 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the gratin is bubbling at the edges.
- Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes (or longer if you like) before serving.