Against All Grain blogger Danielle Walker has become the poster girl for making gluten-free food great. Her new cookbook, Against All Grain Celebrations, applies that principle to entertaining. This recipe totally transforms a traditionally unhealthy dish.
- Serves: 10
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
Ingredients
- 1 cup (about 150g) whole raw cashews
- 2 Tbsp ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
- 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 Tbsp sherry (optional)
- 1 cup water
- 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 lbs haricots verts (thin green beans), ends trimmed
- 1/2 cup palm shortening, bacon fat, or ghee, for frying
- 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
Directions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, shallot, and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms and shallot have softened.
- Pour in the sherry and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Drain and rinse the cashews, transfer them to a blender, add the water, and blend until very smooth.
- Add the mushroom mix, half of the stock, and the salt, pepper, and thyme to the blender and pulse a few times until the mushrooms are bite size.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the remaining stock. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the mushroom mixture with the haricots verts and spoon into a casserole dish.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, until the beans are tender and the sauce is bubbling. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, to make the topping, heat the palm shortening in a small, deep saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches, pan fry the shallots for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain and cool in a single layer on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Top the casserole with the crispy shallots and serve warm.
