Beans, beans, they're good for your heart...
There's more truth in the old grade-school joke than we thought; the
health benefits of high-fiber foods weren't well understood then.
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A genre of writing that I have, surprisingly, only recently discovered, is the history of food. I'm sure I'll say more about this in future WFDs, but this week's reference is Beans - A History by Ken Albala (2007).
Dried beans have been a staple food in much of the world since ancient times -- and for almost as long have been stigmatized as poor people's food. As Albala puts it "as soon as people can afford something better, they stop eating beans", although this applies only to dried legumes; fresh green beans in season are worthy of wealthier tables. On the American frontier they ate bread and beans; in Latin America it's still rice and beans; in Italy pasta e fagioli, in all those places the cheapest possible nourishing diet. The tendency to produce gas is also part of the reason some people avoid beans.
Where I live the supermarket always have several kinds of beans, not limited to: black, pink, small red, red kidney, small white (Navy), larger white (Great Northern), pinto, lima. They differ some in flavor and texture but are IMO pretty interchangeable in recipes. There are of course traditional favorites: Red beans in New Orleans; navy beans in New England; black beans in the Caribbean and South America; pinto beans in the Southwest. All kinds of beans are traditionally cooked with fat meat, especially pork.
Lots of older recipes, including the one that inspired mine below, recommend cooking beans in a crockpot, be careful! Kidney and lima beans especially can make you very sick if not boiled vigorously; it's safest to cook beans on the stove for at least 10 minutes then finish in the slow cooker.
Classic bean preparations include: Red Beans and Rice, Black Beans and Rice (Moros y Cristianos), Feijoada, Boston Baked Beans, Cassoulet, U.S. Senate Bean Soup.
SteelerGrrl gave us her baked bean recipe just a couple weeks ago.
I like this Mexican-style recipe.
Frijoles Borrachos
"Drunken beans", so named because of the beer, which adds a nice malty flavor.
1 lb pinto, pink or small red beans (pink beans pictured)
8 cups water
3 cups beer (2 12-oz bottles or cans, pale ale or amber ale is good)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 or more cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery (for me more like 2 cups)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (~15 oz) diced tomatoes
minced cilantro for garnish
cotija cheese
Soak the beans overnight, or parboil and soak one hour per package directions. Drain and rinse beans.
Put beans in a large heavy pot with water, beer, onion, celery and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 more minutes. Add salt to taste.
Serve garnished with cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese (a hard crumbly Mexican cheese a little like Feta).
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What's for dinner at your place?
Please consider sharing your recipes and knowledge with us! Message ninkasi23 if you can write a future WFD.