I’ve been yelling at you, our beloved customers, about heirloom beans for years now. I think you’re maybe sick of me talking about it. And I know, maybe $8 for a pound of dried beans seems like a lot when you can get regular varieties at the supermarket for less. I also know that you care about saving heirloom varieties of beans (and plants, and tomatoes and flowers) and that you appreciate organic, artisan products. None of these things are up for debate. But with the economy, you’re probably more likely to spend extra money on your organic half and half or organic meat. And I would agree with you. Times are tough. Money is tight.
The other day I was uninspired at the office; this tends to happen when I’m faced with a lot of computer work. I get ants in my pants. I decided to make a pot of beans using a new variety from the super snuggly Steve Sando at Rancho Gordo. Just some pot beans, nothing fancy. And they were goooood. Friends, they were excellent. Not because I’m super girl in the kitchen (though I do make mean Chocolate Chip Cookies) but because heirloom beans don’t need any help to be nuanced, delicious, nutritious and amazing. The best part? The dish consisted of 6 ingredients, serves 4 and cost $12, total, to make.
Here’s the deal: this is my basic recipe for Italian pot beans. If you wanted to, you could jazz this recipe up (but honestly, I don’t think you need to). I give suggestions for “jazzing” at the end of this post. Plus a suggestion for leftovers.
Pot Beans for a Cozy Weekend
Serves 4
1 pound bag Rancho Gordo Heirloom White Beans (I used Alubia Criollo)
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Loaf of Crusty, Italian Bread (I highly recommend making the Basic White recipe from Jim Lahey’s new book My Bread).
The day before:
Empty the beans into a large bowl, cover with water by one inch and refrigerate overnight.
The next day:
Pour the soaked beans and their soaking liquid into a large pot. Make sure the beans are covered by 2 inches of water. You’ll probably need to add at least 2 cups of cold water to the pot. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Set over medium heat and allow to come to a boil. Once the beans have come to a full boil, turn the heat to low. The beans should be barely boiling. Continue to cook for 2 hours adding more water so that the beans are always covered by at least an inch of water.
After 2 hours, test the beans. They should be tender. If not, continue to cook until the beans are soft. Once soft, remove the garlic, set it aside and let it cool. Add the parsley, the juice of one lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Unpeel the garlic, break the garlic apart with your fingers, and add it back to the pot. Remember, the beans should be covered by at least one inch of water. Bring back to a soft boil. Get out a big wooden spoon and while stirring, smash some of the beans against the side and bottom of the pan. Taste the beans for seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
Cut thick slices of the bread. Toast. Set 1-2 slices of toast in 4 warmed bowls. Ladle the pot beans over the bread and pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil over each bowl (probably a tablespoon).
Eat. Enjoy.
Some suggestions for jazzing:
1. Add chopped carrots, onion and celery to the beans and soaking liquid at the beginning of boiling. When you add the parsley also add one can of San Marzano Cherry Tomatoes.
2. Add shredded cabbage to the beans at the beginning of boiling. At the end add copious amounts of fresh cracked black pepper and shredded duck confit.
3. Add parmesan rinds and a thick slice of prosciutto to the beans at the beginning of cooking. Add greens like escarole and black kale when you add the parsley.
4. Play around with the herbs. Instead of parsley, add chopped rosemary and thyme.
5. Use Pinto Beans! Think you know Pinto Beans? You don’t. Steve’s Pintos are incredibly flavorful. Follow the recipe above exactly, but substitute pinto beans. Instead of bread, make Masa Organic Brown Rice. Top the Rice with the hot Pinto beans and chopped cilantro, chopped white onion, a squeeze of lime, chopped tomatoes and avocado and a spoonful of creme fraiche.
Leftovers?
Use the white beans to top crostini with thinly sliced shallot and good quality Italian canned tuna.
I’ve been yelling at you, our beloved customers, about heirloom beans for years now. I think you’re maybe sick of me talking about it. And I know, maybe $8 for a pound of dried beans seems like a lot when you can get regular varieties at the supermarket for less. I also know that you care about saving heirloom varieties of beans (and plants, and tomatoes and flowers) and that you appreciate organic, artisan products. None of these things are up for debate. But with the economy, you’re probably more likely to spend extra money on your organic half and half or organic meat. And I would agree with you. Times are tough. Money is tight.
.
The other day I was uninspired at the office; this tends to happen when I’m faced with a lot of computer work. I get ants in my pants. I decided to make a pot of beans using a new variety from the super snuggly Steve Sando at Rancho Gordo. Just some pot beans, nothing fancy. And they were goooood. Friends, they were excellent. Not because I’m super girl in the kitchen (though I do make mean Chocolate Chip Cookies) but because heirloom beans don’t need any help to be nuanced, delicious, nutritious and amazing. The best part? The dish consisted of 6 ingredients, serves 4 and cost $12, total, to make.
.
Here’s the deal: this is my basic recipe for Italian pot beans. If you wanted to, you could jazz this recipe up (but honestly, I don’t think you need to). I give suggestions for “jazzing” at the end of this post. Plus a suggestion for leftovers.
.
Pot Beans for a Cozy Weekend
Serves 4
Recipe by Rachael Sheridan
1 pound bag Rancho Gordo Heirloom White Beans (I used Alubia Criollo)
4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
1 Loaf of Crusty, Italian Bread (I highly recommend making the Basic White recipe from Jim Lahey’s new book My Bread).
.
The day before:
Empty the beans into a large bowl, cover with water by one inch and refrigerate overnight.
.
The next day:
Pour the soaked beans and their soaking liquid into a large pot. Make sure the beans are covered by 2 inches of water. You’ll probably need to add at least 2 cups of cold water to the pot. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Set over medium heat and allow to come to a boil. Once the beans have come to a full boil, turn the heat to low. The beans should be barely boiling. Continue to cook for 2 hours adding more water so that the beans are always covered by at least an inch of water.
.
After 2 hours, test the beans. They should be tender. If not, continue to cook until the beans are soft. Once soft, remove the garlic, set it aside and let it cool. Add the parsley, the juice of one lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Unpeel the garlic, break the garlic apart with your fingers, and add it back to the pot. Remember, the beans should be covered by at least one inch of water. Bring back to a soft boil. Get out a big wooden spoon and while stirring, smash some of the beans against the side and bottom of the pan. Taste the beans for seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
.
Cut thick slices of the bread. Toast. Set 1-2 slices of toast in 4 warmed bowls. Ladle the pot beans over the bread and pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil over each bowl (probably a tablespoon of oil for each bowl).
Eat. Enjoy.
.
Some suggestions for jazzing:
1. Add chopped carrots, onion and celery to the beans and soaking liquid at the beginning of boiling. When you add the parsley also add one can of San Marzano Cherry Tomatoes.
2. Add shredded cabbage to the beans at the beginning of boiling. At the end add copious amounts of fresh cracked black pepper and shredded duck confit.
3. Add parmesan rinds and a thick slice of prosciutto to the beans at the beginning of cooking. Add greens like escarole and black kale when you add the parsley. Top the beans with an organic poached egg.
4. Play around with the herbs. Instead of parsley, add chopped rosemary and thyme.
5. Use Pinto Beans! Think you know Pinto Beans? You don’t. Steve’s Pintos are incredibly flavorful. Follow the recipe above exactly, but substitute pinto beans. Instead of bread, make Massa Organic Brown Rice. Top the Rice with the hot Pinto beans and chopped cilantro, chopped white onion, a squeeze of lime, chopped tomatoes and avocado and a spoonful of creme fraiche.
.
Leftovers?
Use the white beans to top crostini with thinly sliced shallot, good quality Italian canned tuna, and more chopped fresh parsley.
.
Used in this post: Plover Teal Squares Napkin, Pigeon Toe Askew Collection Folded Serving Platter
