BEAN CROQUETTES AU GRATIN

  Time: 40 minutes
  Difficulty: easy
  Serves: 6

  INGREDIENTS

• 500 g canned borlotti beans, drained

• 1 egg and 2 yolks

• 4 heaped tablespoons plus, Parmesan cheese, grated

• cinnamon

• 400 ml milk

• 1 slice or wedge from an onion

• 1 bay leaf

• 2-3 tablesppons butter

• 2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 400 ml milk

• salt

• pepper

METHOD

Puree the beans; add the whole egg and two spoonfuls of grated parmesan, salt, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon. Set aside.

Prepare a béchamel: Heat the milk together with the onion and bay leaf. Keep warm.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, stirring to cook through; it may turn golden, but do not let brown.

Remove from heat; if desired, remove the onion slice and bay leaf from the milk, then pour the hot milk into the butter.flour mixture, slowly, stirring it with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming. Cook for about 10 minutes, then remove from the heat; season with salt to taste.

Combine 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan and 2 egg yolks, then add a little bit of the béchamel  sauce to the mixture, taking care it does not curdle the egg yolks. Add the cheese egg yolk mixture to the rest of the béchamel, stir through until mixed well.

With two spoons, take some of the bean mixture, giving it the shape of a “quenelle” and place on a greased baking sheet (or on an oven dish). Repeat until you finish all the bean mixture.

Cover them gently with the béchamel. Bake in a pre-heated  oven at 240 °C for about 20 minutes, until the beans are warmed through and the top is lightly flecked with brown.  Serve hot or warm.