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A Simple Pot of Beans
November 07, 2011
When the weather turned cold this last week, I began to yearn for the hearty comfort of a big pot of beans. Good Mother Stallard Beans from Rancho Gordo are the new favorite at our house: they have a dense creamy texture and a terrific, sweet flavor that doesn’t require the least bit of gussying up. A few aromatic vegetables and a slow simmer on the back of the stove makes a broth that merits sopping up with crusty bread. Good to the last drop! If you were so inclined, you could cook up a few slices of bacon and sauté the vegetables in the drippings and then add the chopped bacon when the beans are nearly done. Either way, a simple pot of beans is a perfect meal on a cold, dark night – it warms body and soul.
A Simple Pot of Beans
Serves 4-6
1 pound Rancho Gordo Good Mother Stallard beans
2 carrots, peeled & chopped into ½” pieces
2 pieces celery, chopped into ½” pieces
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
¼ cup olive oil
2-3 Balinese Long Peppers*
Rinse the beans and pick out any small debris that might accompany them. Soak the beans overnight in fresh water. If you can’t do that, just soak them as long as you can; they’ll take longer to cook, but they’ll still taste great.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium and sauté the onion, carrot and celery until they soften and begin to brown; add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a kettle full of water to boil. Drain the beans and put them and the long peppers in with the vegetables. Add the boiling water and cover beans by about an inch. Bring to a full boil for about five minutes, and then cover and turn to a low simmer. After about an hour, begin checking the beans. My pot took about 75 minutes. Add more boiling water if necessary to keep the beans well covered.
When the beans are done, salt to taste.
Toast some good crusty bread, break out a wedge of stinky cheese like Le Poteaupre or Grayson, and enjoy the simplicity of a pot of beans. Welcome to winter!
* Balinese Long Peppers have a complex flavor with an earthy pungency, a sweet hint of spice, and the heat of chili. They look like tiny cattails and once ground, roasted or simply snapped in two, they release an incredible floral bouquet. If you don’t have any, put in a few whole black peppercorns.
