BEEN WEEK, DAY 1

It might sound strange to admit, but I am a certified BA. That does not indicate that I have my Bachelor of Arts (which I do, in Mathematics) but rather that I am a BEAN ADDICT. It is true. Ever since discovering the wonders of Rancho Gordo* at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, there has been no turning back. They focus on heirloom varieties of beans, and every pound you purchase is *perfect* – no stones, whole, beautiful beans! After exploring several of their varieties, I’ve also begun expanding my horizons and picking up beans at my local and favorite grocery. My bean collection is actually a bit larger than shown above – I suppose I need a few more jars!

The first varietal I tried from them is the Vaquero Bean. They are just amazing looking with their black and white markings. They hold these markings after cooking, though admittedly they do get a bit gray-ish as the bean broth turns black. Oddly they are not in the photo above, but I think that is because I ate them all. They continue to be one of my all time favorites! This picture to the right is courtesy Rancho Gordo but it is better than any I could locate in my archives. These beans have a very full flavor and let’s be honest, they just look cool!

Moving on, another all time favorite of mine is the Yellow Indian Woman Bean which people constantly question me about. Hey folks, I didn’t name them! They are shown here with a butternut squash farro dish and grilled okra -oh the joy of grilled okra, but that is a whole other post! These Yellow Indian Woman beans have the most luxurious flavor and can match up with nearly any veggie extremely well.

Here is a beautiful white bean dish I made in the past. This cannot be replicated with canned beans. Believe me though – it is worth the effort. Actually I think you will find that all dried beans are worth the effort once you try them. The flavors are so full and amazing. We often eat meals with the beans as the main – as shown with the Yellow Indian Woman Beans. When you have beans that full of flavor – you don’t need the meat, I promise!

Hopefully by now I’ve at least tempted you with the joy of dried & heirloom beans! If so, then you are ready for the basic cooking method I follow with nearly all dried beans. You cannot go wrong with this incredibly simple recipe! Though you do need to plan ahead, the beans cook themselves. You just need to soak the beans first – that is the planning step. Here are a few key “tricks” to cooking beans:

1. Soak the beans for about 4-8 hours (or overnight), until beans are about double in volume. Soaking will help dried beans cook more quickly, but it is also rumored to help digestion (because it removes a portion of the complex sugars that cause indigestion). When you are ready to cook, skim off any floating beans (indicating they are immature) then drain and cook in fresh water. (If you are short on time you can “quick soak” the beans. Place them in a pot, cover with a few inches of water then bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pot and allow the beans to soak for 1-2 hours. Drain and proceed as usual.)
2. Never add salt to the pot of beans or aromatics until the beans are nearly finished cooking. Adding salt at the beginning or cooking beans in salted water can toughen them. Who wants tough beans!?
3. Always sort through your beans before soaking to remove any stones or dirt. Simply place them on a baking sheet before soaking to sort them.

All right, ready to cook some beans!? Let’s go!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. of beans, cleaned, sorted, and soaked as above
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small onion, finely diced, or can be quartered if you prefer to remove after cooking
• 1/2 – 1 carrot, finely diced (optional – and can be left in larger chunks if you prefer to remove)
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced (optional – and can be left in larger chunks if you prefer to remove)
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed with peel removed (optional)
• 1 t. olive oil

1. In a medium pot sauté the onion over medium until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic if using and continue to cook until the onion develops nice brown color, about 5 more minutes.
2. Drain the beans, add to the pot, then cover with 6c. fresh water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then lower heat to a simmer. You can partially cover while they simmer. The slower & lower they cook, the nicer your beans will typically be – more whole beans with no broken skins!
3. Depending on the type of bean you are using, they will cook between 30 minutes and an hour. Start tasting them around 30 minutes, cooking until they are tender. Add about 1 1/2 t. of salt when your beans are just nearly finished – usually about 5 minutes before removing from the heat.
4. Serve beans and enjoy! See – that was fun wasn’t it?!

*Note: you can also order online from Rancho Gordo, but sorry friends, it is US only right now.