This protein option is a solid star at the dinner table.
Beans have been the unfortunate victim of bad branding. As a child, it’s likely you heard the little ditty about beans that was, oddly enough, taken from Stephen King’s book The Gunslinger, and went something like this: “Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you …” Well, you get the idea. And myriad references in pop culture (remember the Blazing Saddles campfire scene?) only further drove that message home.
That beans have gotten a bad rap is sad, really, because these little legume seeds offer a multitude of health benefits and are infinitely useful at mealtimes.
The Magic Within
Did you know that beans have the power not only to provide protein, but that they also can, reportedly, heal your gut lining and help prevent debilitating diseases in the body? Plus, unlike the meat that often takes center stage on your holiday table, beans are high in minerals and fiber without the saturated fat, a leading contributor to heart disease.
Beans’ main healing agent? Soluble fiber, which helps take the garbage out of the body — all of the excess hormones, fat-soluble toxins, and other waste are escorted out, along with your bile. Without enough fiber, these would be recycled back into the body.
“Many of the healthy eating gurus recommend a minimum of a cup of beans per day and having beans at three meals per day,” says Steve Smith, owner of heirloom bean business Chili Smith Family Foods in Carmichael, Calif., highlighting beans’ historical significance. “They have been part of the human experience for almost as long as we have learned to grow and cultivate crops — that’s thousands of years … [T]hey are very much a part of our DNA, and every family has bean stories — growing them, harvesting them, storing them, cooking them, and, in some cases, surviving on them.”
Endless Options
Beans can be prepared in numerous ways. You can presoak them overnight and simmer them in plenty of water with aromatics. Forgot to presoak and short on time? You can quick-soak them by dropping a couple of cups of dried beans in a large amount of water (think a middle finger’s depth from the top of bean level), bringing it all to a boil, then covering the pot, turning off the heat, and letting it sit for one hour. Rinse the beans and add them back to the pot with aromatics, fill it again to about two fingers’ depth of water, and simmer. Once the beans are soft, you can add olive oil and salt and let them cool on the stovetop. All in, this takes about two hours.
If you have a pressure cooker or one of those handy-dandy Instant Pots, you can cook dried beans in a fraction of the time, even adding other ingredients for a quick, one-pot meal and a healthy shot of protein and fiber.
Beans can be stored almost forever, are affordable, and are extremely versatile — dress them up or down for any occasion. Invited to a potluck or holiday party this winter and tasked with providing the main dish? No sweat. Beans can be that, too. Now you can feel confident about skipping the meat and gifting everyone with the magical bean.
Heirloom Beans
We’re fortunate to be located near two Northern California-based sellers of quality heirloom beans: Chili Smith Family Foods in Carmichael and Rancho Gordo in Napa.
Why does this matter? Heirloom beans are grown from seeds that have not been cross-pollinated with any other varieties, making them genetically the same for decades. They tend to have an earthier, oilier, or mushroom-like flavor to them. They also are more difficult to grow and, thus, a bit harder to find. You can find heirloom beans at Whole Foods Market stores and local organic grocers such as Great Basin Community Food Co-op, or online at Ranchogordo.com and Chilismith.com.
Here are some common heirloom varieties:
- Cranberry: soft, dense, and rich texture, great for casseroles, bean broths, and pasta e fagioli
- Bayo: often sweet and earthy, with a creamy texture
- Hutterite soup: great for creamy soups with their buttery, delicate taste, ideal as a first food for babies
- Yellow eye: rich, creamy, and mild, great for baked beans or any dish
- Snowcap: potato-like texture and feel, great for soups and chowders
Polenta with Cranberry Beans and Tomato Sauce
(courtesy of Rancho Gordo in Napa. Serves 6)
¼ cup olive oil
1 large or 2 small red onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with their juices
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
4 to 5 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo cranberry or borlotti lamon beans
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups fine yellow polenta (Rancho Gordo’s Anson Mills polenta preferred)
6 ounces pancetta, diced (optional)
Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and vinegar. Dissolve tomato paste in the broth and add to onions and tomatoes. Add basil and sage. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer until the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add beans to the tomato sauce. Cook, stirring, to combine and heat through, about 15 minutes.
To prepare polenta: In a heavy pot, combine polenta with 1 tablespoon salt. Turn heat to medium and gradually whisk in 9 cups cold water, stirring constantly, until polenta begins to boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until thick, about 45 minutes.
If using pancetta: Place pancetta in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pancetta is brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel to drain.
To serve, spoon polenta into serving dishes. Ladle the beans over the polenta and top with pancetta, if using. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Yellow Eye Beans and Fennel Casserole
(courtesy of Rancho Gordo in Napa. Serves 4 to 6)
2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
Leaves from 4 to 6 stems fresh thyme
½ cup white wine
1 cup vegetable stock
3 to 4 cups cooked Rancho Gordo yellow eye or snowcap beans, drained
Zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut fennel bulbs in half; cut crosswise into slices about ½-inch thick, then roughly chop. Rinse well.
Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add onion and sauté until soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove onion and reserve. Add remaining oil to pan, then add fennel, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Sauté until fennel is soft and beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes or so. Add wine and vegetable stock and stir, scraping bottom of pan to deglaze it. Let this cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions, beans, lemon zest, and squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a wide baking dish. Sprinkle topping over dish (see recipe below), cover dish with foil, and bake 30 to 40 minutes.
Uncover and bake until the top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
For topping
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
½ cup dried breadcrumbs
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup minced fresh basil, plus more for garnish
In a small pan, melt butter (or olive oil) over medium-low heat. Add breadcrumbs, cheese, and basil, and stir to mix well.
Twyla’s Bourbon Bayo Beans
(courtesy of Chili Smith Family Foods in Carmichael, Calif. Serves 10 to 12)
1 red onion, chopped
¼ cup bourbon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup heirloom tomatoes, blended
3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons Chili Smith Sweet and Spicy Vinegar
3 tablespoons coconut aminos
3 tablespoons spicy prepared mustard
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
¼ cup maple syrup
4 cups cooked Chili Smith speckled bayo beans
Sauté the onion in a preheated pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onion is soft. Add bell pepper and cook for about 3 minutes. Add water, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Add garlic and cook another minute.
Remove from heat and slowly add bourbon. Be sure pan is not so hot that the bourbon sizzles.
Return pan to the burner and raise heat to medium to bring to a simmer. Allow to cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
To an Instant Pot, add molasses, vinegar, blended tomatoes, coconut aminos, and mustard. Stir in maple syrup. Add bean-and-onion mixture. Stir a few times to mix everything. Slow cook for at least 1 hour.
