braised shell and grean beans with parsnips

Bought some shell beans at the farmer's market and wasn't quite sure what do do with them. Made a bland pasta dish and realized they needed more to give them some kick. I sauteéd an onion (cut into eights, intact) with a bayleaf and some whole cloves of garlic (break the cloves up later, once they're soft) until they caramelize a bit. Add a roughly chopped leek and some salt. Add some more olive oil and toss in three peeled, coarsely chopped parsnips. Add some cooking water from the shell beans (probabaly 2 lbs before shelling) and break up the fond. Add mostly-cooked shell beans, a huge spring of thyme and some water or stock and cover. Cook until parsnips and beans are mostly cooked. Add a pound or so of green beans, each chopped in halves or thirds, for uniform size. Cover, cook until green beans are bright and still crisp. Remove thyme and add some fresh leaves. Finish with some butter, salt (if needed) and a generous bit of black pepper.