Tag: beans

Bean Counter

Peanuts are legumes, so why don’t more people treat them as such? Crunchy when toasted, creamy when blended, and inescapably rich in natural oils, they do indeed behave more like nuts, but I can assure you, these babies are beans all the way through. That’s not just some fun trivia to impress at dinner parties. The distinction between nuts and legumes changes how I’ve come to think about them in the kitchen. Nomenclature and botany aside, treating peanuts like beans flips the script in a whole new savory direction.

It all started with boiled peanuts. Slowly simmered inside once brittle shells, they soften to become the southern answer to edamame in their pods. Tender, flavorful, buttery, and briny, this classic preparation hints at their versatility and full culinary potential. Take it a step further with more liquid, and eventually, you’ll end up with peanut soup.

Groundbreaking Groundnuts

Peanut soup isn’t a groundbreaking concept, but one that’s ripe for reimagination. It has deep roots in West Africa, where peanuts, AKA “groundnuts,” have long been a staple. They meet with fiery chilies, ginger, cumin, and more, singing with the heat and intensity of African cuisine. When enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas, they brought their culinary traditions along with them, including the technique of using peanuts as a base for rich, savory soups.

The South, particularly Virginia, where peanuts have been grown since the 18th century, has adopted a milder, more delicate spin on peanut soup. It’s a simple affair that starts with onions and celery, uses flour as a thickener, and is enriched with heavy cream. Building that concept out into a more well-rounded snapshot of southern fare, it seemed a crime that no one ever thought to invite collard greens to the party.

The Southern Twist

In my mind, collard greens are the stalwart champions of Southern cuisine. Growing like weeds, bitter yet beguiling, their abundance is a testament to the tenacity of their keepers. Their earthy tartness perfectly balances the rich, nutty sweetness of peanuts in this velvety blend. Using crunchy peanut butter is the shortcut that ensures a perfect consistency, with toothsome bites of chopped peanuts and a silky-smooth base, all at once. Celery, naturally salty, is another essential vegetable that gets little fanfare in most recipes. Their feathery leaves are the final garnish that brings the whole dish together, echoing the sauteed base of aromatics within.

Know Your Beans

Peanuts are a curious contradiction in the culinary world. Though they behave like nuts, look like nuts, and taste like nuts, they’re beans, through and through. Often relegated to sweet treats or snack foods, recognizing them as beans opens up a whole new realm of savory possibilities. Peanut soup takes peanuts back to their roots, and puts them back at the center of the menu. Hearty enough to beat back the cold of any winter, this is one easy, tasty way to make peanuts worth more than a hill of beans.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Anasazi Anastasia

No matter how small, every ingredient comes with a story, even a literal or proverbial hill of beans. Anasazi beans are exactly that, having almost disappeared in the relentless push towards industrialized food systems. They’ve been passed down through generations, surviving untold hardships, good and bad harvests, and centuries of changing tastes. Offering far more than mere sustenance, they embody a spirit of resilience and ingenuity that continues to inspire cooks, and eaters, to this day.

A Brief History of Anasazi Beans

Named after the ancient Anasazi people, otherwise known as the Ancestral Pueblo people, who once thrived in the American Southwest, Anasazi beans have been around for over 800 years, enduring in the challenging landscapes of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado. The name “Anasazi” comes from the Navajo word for “ancient ones.” Depending on who you ask, they may also go by the name of Aztec bean, cave bean, New Mexico Appaloosa, or Jacob’s cattle beans.

Remarkably impervious to extreme desert conditions, these beans were once a major food source for native tribes, who prized them for their nutritional value, drought tolerance, and long shelf life. Like tepary beans, Anasazi beans were a survival crop, capable of thriving in the arid regions where many other crops would fail.

Cooking ‘Til the Cows Come Home

Mottled like a cow’s spotted coat, the stunning maroon and white speckled pattern is visually striking, and the main attraction that drew me in at first. Anasazi beans can actually come in a variety of colors, including shades of red, pink, and even lighter speckling, which reflects the varied conditions in which these beans were grown, adapted over time to flourish in different climates and regions. In some cases, the cow spots will fade entirely after cooking, turning the beans a solid shade of dusty red, but in others, a light dappling will remain. No two batches of Anasazi beans are ever quite the same.

What Do Anasazi Beans Taste Like?

Anasazi beans have an incredible depth of flavor, even before adding any seasoning. They have a subtly sweet, nutty flavor, with a creamy texture that holds up beautifully when cooked. Unlike more common beans, which can sometimes have a subtly gritty finish, Anasazi beans are borderline buttery all the way through. A versatile addition to a wide range of recipes, you’ll most frequently find them used for refried beans, chilis, and stews. They’re most similar to pinto beans and can be swapped out at will.

Beans, Beans, They’re Good For Your Heart…

Anasazi beans aren’t just a pretty little trinkets meant to sit on the pantry. Like all other legumes, they pack a punch in terms of fiber, protein, and essential minerals like iron and magnesium. What sets them apart from the pack is that they’re much more easy to digest, because they contain fewer oligosaccharides, which are the starches that cause gas in beans. For bean skeptics or fair-weather fans, they’re a smart entryway into better bean appreciation.

How to Cook Anasazi Beans

Cooking Anasazi beans requires a bit of patience, but the results are well worth the effort. These beans are quite hardy and may take a little longer to soften compared to other beans, but once cooked, they offer a wonderful bite that won’t break down under heat.

  • On the Stove: Unsoaked Anasazi beans typically take about 1 to 1.5 hours to cook at a low simmer. If you soak them overnight, the cooking time is reduced to about 45-60 minutes. Be sure to add plenty of water during cooking to ensure the beans don’t dry out.
  • In a Slow Cooker: For a set-it-and-forget-it option, cook unsoaked Anasazi beans on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
  • In a Pressure Cooker: If you’re in a rush, a pressure cooker can cook Anasazi beans in just 20 minutes, with a natural release to preserve the texture.

Regardless of the method, it’s important to add salt only after the beans are fully cooked. Adding salt too early can prevent the beans from softening properly, and that’s a mistake you’ll want to avoid.

Heirlooms with a Purpose

Anasazi beans deserve as much mainstream prominence as the average pinto, cannellini, or kidney bean, as a practical, sustainable food source. By incorporating Anasazi beans into your meals, you’re not just honoring an ancient food tradition, but also your taste buds. You’ll find yourself reaching for them not just because they’re healthy, but because they bring something special to the table.

Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments

Cool Beans

Everything old is new again, as evidenced by the heirloom bean renaissance. As a person with no family heirlooms to speak of, I’m quite content to accept this treasure trove of ancient legumes in lieu of jewelry, furniture, or fine China. Health is wealth, after all, and tepary beans especially are certainly rich in nutrition, flavor, and culinary inspiration. These stunning onyx gems were inherited from a generous friend, AKA chosen family, quickly becoming my favorite living legacy to receive.

A Brief History of Tepary Beans

Hardy and robust, these small seeds have managed to thrive in the harsh, arid conditions of southwestern United States and Mexico, surviving drought and blights since before colonization began. Where common beans (p. vulgaris), lima beans (p. lunatus), and runner beans (p. coccineus) would wither into dust, tepary beans managed take root, establishing themselves as a critical staple of the native peoples. At times of scarcity, they accounted for nearly half of the dietary protein for the indigenous communities that cultivated them.

Fifty Shades of Brown

Although brown tepary beans seem to be most common today, they’re incredibly diverse and grow in at least forty-six distinct colors, including white, brown, beige, black, and mottled, with some plants delivering monotone harvests while others produce a full spectrum. It turns out that the black tepary beans I got my hands on are the most elusive, developed by separating the black seeds before planting the other white or brown seeds separately over the course of many generations.

What Do Tepary Beans Taste Like?

Flavors vary based on color, with white teparies tasting sweeter and more mild than nutty brown or deeply earthy black tepary beans. Across the board, their texture is consistently firm, meaty, and sturdy. These are beans that won’t fall apart under pressure, remaining distinct even after long cooking times. That makes them ideal for adding into salads, salsas, tacos, burritos, braises, soups, chili; anywhere you want whole, well-defined beans.

Nutritional Prowess of Tepary Beans

Historians and nutritionists agree that tepary beans are one of the healthiest legumes around, easily explaining why it was such a staple for aboriginal tribes, and makes the case for renewed enthusiasm today. Tepary beans have more protein and higher fiber than ordinary beans and a lower glycemic index (41-44), so you’ll get more bang for your bean buck with every meal. Especially when compared to meat, this plant-protein is a boon for anyone who wants to eat and feel better in the long run.

How To Cook Tepary Beans

Being drought-resistant can make tepary beans somewhat cooking-resistant too. Their tough outer skins refuse to yield under quick cooking conditions, so patience is key. If you have a slow cooker or pressure cooker, now is the time to plug it in. Cover the beans with a generous amount of water, adding more throughout the cooking process if needed, especially on the stove, if it evaporates too quickly.

Aromatics like whole garlic cloves, halved onions, bay leaves, and kombu, are excellent additions to infuse more savory flavor, though not mandatory. Always add salt after cooking, not before, or else they may never soften sufficiently.

  • In a pressure cooker, unsoaked tepary beans can cook in 35 minutes with a natural release.
  • On the stove top, unsoaked tepary beans may take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to cook when simmered over low heat, while beans soaked overnight may take 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Using a slow cooker set to low, unsoaked beans will take 6 to 8 hours, or 3 to 4 hours on high.
  • Oven braising times are very similar to the stove top method, taking roughly 1 1/2 to 2 hours to cook unsoaked tepary beans all the way through.

Drain thoroughly and enjoy hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Heirlooms with Style and Substance

Go forth and eat your heirlooms! Tepary beans are a link to the past that are every bit as vital and relevant in the present day. Instead of some dusty relics that sit on the shelf, these beans have real benefits, proving their value above and beyond inert precious metals and stones. Find yourself some tepary beans today, and start a new family legacy.

Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Beans Are The New Black Friday

Black Friday isn’t what it used to be.

I say that not with sadness or nostalgia, but a deep sense of relief. Holiday sales will forever persist, pushing everything from lawnmowers to lingerie, but the singular focus on one big shopping day has dispersed to encompass the entire interval from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Door busters are digital and shipping is free; why bother waking up early to fight the crowds? This tradition of dubious appeal from the onset is now fully obsolete. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to redefine Black Friday.

Black beans are the antidote to Black Friday’s typical excess. Decidedly unglamorous, unassuming, and unpretentious, black beans won’t force you out of bed early or judge you for the previously night’s debauchery. Taking it a step further, braised black beans, gently stewed in velvety coconut milk and invigorating aromatics, speak of a wholly different sort of richness.

Rifling through the pantry and freezer, this combination of Southeast Asian staples spoke to me above the cacophony of typically autumnal herbs and spices. The fragrant, floral notes of makrut lime leaves and lemongrass share the spotlight, bolstered by the sharp undertone of ginger and jalapeno. Balanced by the natural sweetness of the coconut milk, it’s already so buttery that no additional oils need apply.

Take It Easy

For anyone else still weary from cooking marathons or hosting duties, I’ve got you. Just one step more complicated than a genuine dump dinner, you don’t even need to drain the cans of beans or dirty another dish. Go ahead, take other shortcuts like using pre-minced garlic or ginger paste; no one will be able to argue with the end results.

Serving Suggestions

Personally, I’m perfectly happy spooning these beans right into my mouth, straight out of the pot, while hovering over the stove. If you have more patience though, your time and effort will be rewarded when you round out this entree with proper sides. Ideally, add at least some come kind of starch to soak in all that savory potlikker.

  • Rice, be it basmati, jasmine, or any fluffy steamed long grain rice
  • Bread, thinly sliced and toasted
  • Stewed collard greens, meltingly tender
  • Arugula salad, for a subtly bitter contrast
  • Avocado, for a buttery bite of extra decadence

Alternately, switch up the prep to transform it into an entirely different dish.

  • Roughly mash to make them approximately the texture of refried beans, then use in tacos, burritos, tamales, enchiladas, etc
  • Add vegetable broth and serve as a soup, optionally pureeing some or all
  • Simmer rice right in the same saucepan to make one-pot beans and rice

Make It Your Own

There are no hard and fast rules here. Born out of convenience, this formula is ripe for adaptation. Almost everything is changeable, like…

  • Using chickpeas, white beans, or adzuki instead of black beans
  • Adding more or less garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, to taste
  • Switching up the seasonings with curry powder, chili powder, or lemon-pepper

Don’t Over-Think It

Black Friday can be a complicated mixture of emotions and memories, wants and needs, no matter what the reality of it is today. Black beans, however, should always be simple.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Get To Know Natto

Slimy usually isn’t a selling point when you’re talking about food, but if it’s natto we’re talking about, that’s a large part of the appeal. In fact, “slimy” is one of the more appealing descriptors, followed by gluey, stringy, and mucilaginous, and that’s before we even get to the flavor.

What Is Natto?

Either you love it or you hate it; there’s no middle ground for this polarizing food. These fermented soybeans have been a staple of Japanese cuisine for hundreds of years, serving as a method of preservation and added nutrition as early as the Yayoi period (300 BCE – 300 CE.) It became a staple of shojin-ryori, providing meatless protein to Buddhist monks, and even fed samurai while traveling towards battle.

Natto requires only two ingredients: whole, cooked soybeans and Bacillus subtilis cultures. The process shares many similarities with miso and soy sauce, but is much faster, taking 24 hours or less to mature.

Natto Nutrition

Despite being an acquired taste for many, natto endures as a powerful superfood. Some companies have gone so far as to powder and capsulize it for those who can’t stomach the full experience. That said, nothing can compare to the genuine article, packing in more iron, manganese, copper, and fiber than an equal amount of any meat. Let’s not forget about all that cholesterol-free plant protein, and more probiotics than the average yogurt cup. Studies have shown it can help improve bone density, lower blood pressure, and aid in digestion, just for starters.

Natto’s real claim to nutritional fame is Nattokinase, an enzyme unique to the fermented beans, that many studies have found to be beneficial in combating heart disease. It’s also very high in Vitamin K2, which contributes to skin and bone health, metabolism, and brain function, and can be difficult to find from plant-based sources otherwise.

What Does Natto Taste Like?

Natto is not for everyone. Polls have shown that even self-described fans of the stuff are split on their actual enjoyment of it, admitting that it’s a regular part of their diet for the health benefits, not the flavor.

The soybeans themselves are subtly nutty, earthy, and tender. Once fermented, they take on a funky character somewhat like Brie cheese that can vary in intensity. It’s salty, richly umami, and can sometimes have a slightly bitter finish. Some prepared natto is seasoned with dashi, giving it a fishy aroma.

Neba-neba is the Japanese term that describes its unmistakable texture; stretchy, slimy, and sticky. This quality is exaggerated when stirred, which incorporates air and thickens the natto.

Buying Or Making Natto

Typically sold in 3-packs, ready-to-eat natto is found in most Asian specialty stores either in the freezer aisle nearby the vegetables and edamame, or in the refrigerated produce section not far from the miso pastes. It’s important to read labels carefully, because many contain non-vegan ingredients, namely fish in many forms. This could appear on labels as:

  • Bonito
  • Dashi
  • Tuna
  • Tuna extract
  • Dried fish
  • Fish sauce

You can bypass all of those possible pitfalls by making your own natto at home. If you’ve ever made kimchi, sauerkraut, or yogurt, you can make natto! The key is buying the right cultures and then just letting it do its thing.

Natto Serving Suggestions

Managing the texture and finding complementary flavor pairings is the key to enjoying natto. There’s nothing else quite like it, so your best bet is to just try it for yourself!

  • Breakfast is when natto truly shines. The simplest, most traditional approach is to add karashi (hot mustard), soy sauce, and thinly sliced scallions before serving over hot cooked rice. This is, of course, fairly intense and not the best way to win over natto newbies.
  • To that end, I’d recommend starting out with natto maki sushi rolls. Being able to cut it into distinct bites cuts down on the stringy, slimy texture considerably, so you can focus on whether or not the flavor is to your liking.
  • Similarly, it’s a great filling for onigiri, which can then be grilled to give you much needed crunchy contrast on the outside.
  • For a more western take, you can use natto to top buttered toast or avocado toast. Lightly mash it first if you’d like more of a subtle spread.

Have you tried natto before? Don’t let any naysayers scare you off; it really can be a delicious addition to a healthy diet!

Hannah (BitterSweet)1 Comment