It’s Derby day and I made a Mint Julep.
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A few months ago I found an online story about heirloom beans (which naturally I can’t find again). I hadn’t been aware that expensive varietal beans were a thing, but I was sure that the market I get expensive seafood at would have them. I was right and chose Cranberry beans from a farm in Idaho. “Cranberry” beans are the same as “Borlotti” beans from Italy that the gourmet market also had and would have been a little cheaper. They look a lot like pinto beans but the markings are red.
Loosely defined, “Heirloom” foods are varieties that were grown commonly in the past but did not become popular with large-scale agribusiness. Are heirloom varieties “better”? They are certainly more expensive and harder to get, but most importantly they are more varied. My supermarket might have 10 varieties of beans, the gourmet food distributor Rancho Gordo has 28 in stock now, so you’re going to get some different flavors. They are produced in modest quantities rather than stored and traded in huge volume and will probably be fresher, which for dried beans means they will cook more quickly and (maybe) produce less gas. One article I found offers the warning that supermarket beans “can be as old as 10 years, and are often at least 5 years old”, and I have definitely encountered dried beans that didn’t want to ever get tender. For the fresher and maybe better product you pay 3 to 4 times the price of supermarket beans (these were $6.99/1.5lb). Anyway, I like these and will be buying fancy beans again.
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Italian Rice and Bean Salad
from the package label (zursunbeans.com) — for 8
¾ cup dried cranberry beans
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup minced onion, sauteed in olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup capers, drained
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Soak beans overnight in a bowl with 3 times their volume of water. Rinse beans with cold water and place in a heavy saucepan. Cover with two inches of water and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until tender, about 45 minutes.
Prepare rice according to package directions. Turn rice out into a large bowl to cool, gently breaking up any lumps. Add onions, lemon juice, tomatoes, capers, parsley, beans, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and gently toss.
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Cranberry Beans with Olive Oil and Garlic
from mayihavethatrecipe.com — for 6
If you can find fresh cranberry beans, go to the link for how to cook them. I’m giving the instructions for dry beans.
2 cups dried cranberry beans ( about 1 lb)
6 garlic cloves, whole
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp red hot pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 cups water
3 bay leaves
½ tsp salt ( more or less to taste)
Soak beans overnight in a bowl with 3 times their volume of water, rinse and drain.
Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and tilt the pan so all the oil goes to one side of the pan and the garlic cooks evenly. Cook for about 2 minutes or until it starts to get a slight golden color (make sure it doesn't burn!)
Add the red hot pepper flakes and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the beans, stirring well so the beans get evenly coated with the oil and cook for 3 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, uncovered.
Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes or until the beans are tender but not mushy. You should have some cooking liquid remaining in the pot. If the beans are not tender and there is little water left, keep adding water until thy soften. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (take into consideration that, as the beans, cook the flavor and saltiness concentrates. Do not oversalt!)
Mash the garlic into the cooking liquid ( It should be very tender and mash easily. These are delicious eaten plain, served over rice or with crusty bread.
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I’m not sure what will be for dinner but it has to include an artichoke; I’ve reached the “artichoke every night” part of the year. Look at this thing!
This is what I picked a couple weeks ago:
And what I picked yesterday:
And there are another dozen still visible on the plant.
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