Crusted Butter Bean Purée with Onions and Garlic

Butter beans really do have a rich buttery flavour, and as they tend to break up when they cook, a purée or a soup is the best thing you can do with them. This simple purée is wonderful, and goes perfectly instead of potatoes or rice with any roast or grilled meats or birds, or as part of a vegetarian meal. Butter beans combine specially well with the flavour of bay so for extra flavouring add a bay leaf or two to the water when cooking the beans.