Chick Peas, Fava Beans, Lentils Oh My!

       I love beans and have never had a problem eating them.  Some eaters find that they disagree with them in the digestive department and avoid them completely.  I used to buy canned  beans to make soup with and to make bean dishes with, because it takes preparation to soak and cook dried beans and I am not prepared usually.  Actually, organized is more like it.  I would have to think in advance about the menu and then take the time to prepare the beans.  Life and cooking has relied on the canned bean until fairly recently.

In the past year, I have been converted like a religious zealot to the followers and gastronomes of the dried bean sect.  What spurred my interest in this change was going to a local farm, Pacific Star, and noticing the variety of dried beans they grow there.  There were little red ones, tan ones, mottled ones, black ones, green ones and purple darlings.  I am  in the eat local, organic camp, so I bought a little bag of several varieties.  Let me tell you that after soaking, cooking and seasoning these dried gems I was a changed women.  No canned bean can compare with its limp and often over salted form.  The dried beans can stand up on their own and they explode with  flavor.  It is like a symphony for the taste buds.   It so impressed me that I decided that unless I was camping, frantic about a last minute meal or held in a bomb shelter for an indefinite amount of time, I would choose to prepare dried beans of many varieties.  Also, we felt better about eating these mostly local beans because we were supporting our local economy and didn't have to think about the cans and their  toxic coatings.  If the dried beans weren't great enough by themselves, they also have amazing names.  They sound like states, countries, cities,  birds, prom queens for heaven sakes.  They go by the names, flageolet, lentil, jacobs cattle, great northern, soldier bean, hutterite soup bean, canary beans, pinquito beans, anasazi beans, cranberry and barlotti beans, chick pea,  just to name a few.  Don't get me started with the different classes of beans...the shelling bean, dry bean, pulse (sounds exciting...I can feel my heart pulsing as I write this).

       I am going to tell you a little about the bean since they are so nutritionally wonderful and tasty. According to the Wikipedia, the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, is an herbaceous plant domesticated in ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes independently.  They are now grown worldwide.  Most cultures have their own kinds of beans and bean dish specialities.  Beans are so action packed and good for humans that beans, squash and corn are known as the "Three Sisters" and were the mainstay of  Native American agriculture.  They are an excellent source of protein, fiber, starch and have many vitamins and minerals.  Dried Beans can be kept for a long time without issue.  They make a great food for the pantry as they don't spoil and they look cheery in glass jars.   Dried beans need to be soaked for several hours with the exception of lentils, before being cooked and eaten. Soaking helps to shorten the cooking time and if soaked and rinsed several times will also make the beans more digestible, because the rinsing leeches out complex sugars that can result in flatulence for some people.

       Are you sold now on trying to soak and cook your very own dried beans?  Give it a try.  I promise you will not be disappointed. One thing you should know is that tomatoes and other acidic foods inhibit the tenderizing process and shouldn't be added until the beans are done.  My favorite way to prepare them is to first clean them to remove any rogue pebbles, mud pieces and other foreign entities and then to soak for 4-6 hours or overnight. I  rinse them a few times and add cumin,  and chipotle pepper and cook on low heat until they are soft, but not mushy.  The timing is different depending on the amount of beans cooked.  I then take the cooked beans, and add them to a pan that has a  sauteed onions, lots of fresh cilantro and spices (more cumin, chipotle, maybe turmeric, salt) and saute for a few minutes until incorporated and hot.  I serve this with quinoa or brown rice, slices of fresh avocado, salsa fresca, and a nice green salad.  I also love to cook the little red bean, called pinquito and add sliced green olives to the mix.  Of course, there are dozens of ways to prepare beans for use in soups, stews, and  other bean dishes and I encourage you to experiment and have a "beananza."

Here is another recipe for the beloved bean. I hope you enjoy it in good health!!  This recipe is from Deborah Madison's, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and I picked it because it is a nice summer dish and I love to say "flageolet."

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flageolet beans soaked

aromatics (bouquet garni) plus 1/2 onion

salt and fresh pepper

8 ounces slender green beans

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

4 shallots

1/2 cup dry wine

2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and neatly diced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped marjoram, tarragon or summer savory (fresh)

Directions:

Parboil the drained beans 10 minutes in 6 cups water.  Add the aromatics, lower the heat and simmer until partially tender, about an hour more.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and continue cooking until they're done 15-30 minutes.  Drain, reserving the broth.  Blanch the green beans in plenty of boiling salted water until barely tender-firm, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Warm the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add the wine and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer until the wine is mostly cooked away.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a gratin dish.  Combine the flageolet beans with the green beans and half the herbs and transfer to the dish.

Season with salt and pepper and add enough bean broth or broth and a little cream to moisten the beans.  Cover and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.  Garnish with remaining herbs and serve.