Stewed Romano Beans with Tomatoes
Braising the beans lends them a beautiful texture without sacrificing any of their gorgeous color!
Ingredients:
1½ pounds Romano beans, trimmed and cut in 2- to 3-inch lengths
1 cup grated or chopped peeled tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Feta cheese for topping
Cooked pasta or grains, such as bulgur, quinoa, polenta or brown rice (optional)
Method:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a wide, lidded skillet or Dutch oven and add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook gently without browning, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute, until fragrant.
2. Stir in Romano beans, tomatoes and half the dill. Add ½ cup water, bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until beans are tender. Stir in remaining dill and olive oil and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Serve hot, warm or room temperature, with feta sprinkled over the top. If serving as a main dish, serve over cooked grains such as bulgur, quinoa, polenta or brown rice, or toss with pasta.
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How-To: Cook Dried Corona Beans
A quick, how-to guide to prepping this week’s gorgeous oversized beans.
Ingredients:
½ pound Corona beans
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
Sprig each of thyme and rosemary
3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
Sea salt
Method:
1. Pick over the beans, discarding any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans and drain. Place in a bowl, add water to cover generously and let soak overnight.
2. Drain the beans, place in a Dutch oven and add water to cover by 2 inches. Add the bay leaf, onion, fresh herbs and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the beans are soft, about 2 hours, checking the beans and adding more water as needed to keep the beans submerged. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Let the beans cool, then drain well. Yields about 6 cups cooked beans..
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Classic Red Beans & Rice
Slow-simmered with chicken stock, herbs and spices, these luscious red beans get an extra-flavorful kick from Andouille sausage.
Ingredients:
1 pound Rosita red beans
1 pound Andouille sausage, sautéed and sliced
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 sweet red peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
½ cup celery, cut into ¼-inch cubes
4 cups chicken stock, plus 2 cups water
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon dried sage
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
Cooked long-grain jasmine rice, for serving
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Rinse and sort beans, and then soak in a large pot of water overnight.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, red pepper, garlic, and celery in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Rinse soaked beans, then transfer to a large pot with 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water. Stir sautéed vegetables into beans. Season with cayenne pepper (if using), paprika, thyme, sage, bay leaf and parsley. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 2½ hours until the beans are just tender.
3. Stir sausage into beans, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Once the beans and sausage mixture is ready, serve them over the steamed jasmine rice.
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Jacob’s Cattle Beans with Bacon & Sage
Smoky and savory, this is a bowlful of comfort on a fall day!
Ingredients:
½ pound dried Jacob’s Cattle beans, soaked
3 pieces (about 5 ounces) thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
4-5 small cloves garlic, minced
4 heaping teaspoons crumbled sage, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
A splash of wine or vinegar, for deglazing
Olive oil, for garnish
Method:
1. Transfer beans and their soaking liquid to a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by at least 1 inch, if necessary, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, covered, until beans just begin to soften, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a clean plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Deglaze pan with a splash of wine or vinegar and scrape up all of the browned bits. Add onions, celery, carrot, and garlic to the skillet. Crumble in 2 teaspoons of sage and sprinkle with salt. Sauté over low heat, very slowly, until vegetables are very soft and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
3. Add vegetables and salt to the beans. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender and cooking liquid has thickened, about 1 hour 15 minutes. During the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the remaining sage and freshly ground black pepper: taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and topped with crumbled bacon.
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Slow-Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Incredibly sweet and juicy, these roasted beauties are wonderful atop crostini.
Ingredients:
1 pound Sungold cherry tomatoes, or a mixture of both cherry tomatoes and diced heirloom tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the tomatoes with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the tomatoes to the prepared rack
2. Roast the tomatoes until skins are shriveled but tomatoes are still plump, about 1 1/2 hours. Let tomatoes and their juices cool to room temperature.
Variations: For added punch, toss tomatoes with your favorite fresh herb, such as thyme or oregano, or minced garlic, before roasting.
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Southwest-Style Beans
These spicy beans pair wonderfully with your favorite meat or vegetable hot off the grill.
Ingredients:
1 pound Pinquito beans, or other dried bean of your choice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, preferably 1 green and 1 orange or red (for color), seeded and diced
1 Walla Walla sweet onion, diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Set them aside and let them soak for 5 to 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the beans, and then place them in a large pot. Add the garlic, bell peppers and the onions. Cover them with about an inch of water.
3. Next add the chili powder and cumin, plus a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans until tender, about 2 hours. Check the liquid level about halfway through the cooking process; if you’d prefer the beans to be less soupy, you can ladle off about a third of the cooking liquid.
Variation: For extra depth of flavor, add chopped chorizo sausage into the pot at the same time as the garlic, onions and peppers.
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How-To: Cook Mayocoba Beans
You can enjoy these beans straight out of the pot, or save and prepare them refried-style later!
Ingredients:
2 cups dried Mayocoba beans
1 small onion
2-3 tablespoons bacon drippings (or butter or lard)
1-2 teaspoons salt (plus more to taste)
2-3 quarts water
Pinch of Mexican oregano (optional)
Method:
1. Sort through the beans and discard any rocks or shriveled beans. Rinse and drain well.
2. Add beans to a pot and cover with 2-3 quarts of water, or so the water level is 2 inches above the beans. Add the roughly chopped onion and 2-3 tablespoons of bacon drippings (or butter or lard).
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover. Let simmer for 1½-2 hours. Ensure that the water level is well above the beans by adding more water as they cook if necessary.
4. Start tasting them after 1½ hours. If they are hard or grainy they need a little more time. Once cooked add 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of Mexican oregano and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Give a final taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Either serve immediately, or store for future use.
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Salade Niçoise
A classic from the esteemed Julia Child, this colorful salad can be customized to your liking.
Ingredients:
¾ pound green beans, trimmed
1 pound baby red potatoes
½ shallot, chopped
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
4 cups salad greens
2 (6-7 ounce) cans tuna
½ cup Nicoise olives
3 hard-boiled eggs
3 tablespoons chopped herbs, such as parsley, oregano and French tarragon
2-3 teaspoons capers, drained and rinsed
Niçoise vinaigrette (see recipe)
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Lift out with tongs and rinse with very cold water.
2. Return the water to a boil. Add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small knife. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
3. As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel if desired and slice thickly. Add ½ cup of the vinaigrette and the shallot. With a rubber spatula, gently toss the warm potatoes with the Niçoise vinaigrette; set aside to cool. In another bowl, toss the beans with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to coat them. In a third bowl, toss the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to coat them.
4. On a large platter, arrange the lettuce. Add the potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. Top with tuna, and olives. Spoon some of the remaining dressing over the salad and sprinkle with the herbs and capers. Peel the eggs, pat them dry, and halve them. Garnish with peeled, hard-boiled eggs.
Variations: This recipe can be modified with an array of seasonal produce, it is especially wonderful with radishes or sweet peppers! You can also try substituting the canned tuna with seared Ahi steaks, or even grilled salmon.
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Yellow Romano Beans with Caramelized Tropea Onions
These beautiful beans are tossed with Italian red onions and fresh parsley.
Ingredients:
1 pound yellow Romano beans, trimmed
2 Tropea onions, green ends discarded, peeled and then chopped
2-3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup freshly-chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil. Drop in wax beans, cook briefly until just tender, approximately 1 minute. Remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the beans from cooking any longer. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, add the butter and onions, cooking over low heat until onions are tender and caramelized. Add the Romano beans, turn heat to high and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the parsley.
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Fried Corona Beans with Kale-Lemon Pesto
Pan-fried and then tossed with a bright kale-lemon pesto, these crispy beans are incredibly satisfying.
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked Corona beans (see method)
1 bunch Tuscan black kale
¾ cup Grana-style cheese
¾ cup toasted pecans
Zest and juice of 1-2 lemons
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for frying
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch salt
Method:
1. To prep the pesto: Roughly remove stems from kale. Add kale to a pot of boiling water. Stir and cook about 45 seconds, then remove and rinse with cold water. Pick up kale with your hands and mold into a ball, squeezing out all the excess water. Set aside. In a food processor, add the lemon zest, juice, salt, nutmeg, garlic and pecans. Pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Add in the kale, and pulse while adding olive oil. Taste for salt and add more oil if it is too dry.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons additional olive oil to coat a large frying pan. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering, then add beans in a single layer. Stir to coat the beans, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3-4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside.
3. Add kale-lemon pesto to the beans and toss to combine. Remove from heat and serve lightly sprinkled with additional Grana cheese.
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