Year of the Bean

As I’ve gone through this year (and as I wait for my next Rancho Gordo shipment), I’ve had to always be on the lookout for new beans. To that end I made a recent trip to Kalustyan’s for several great new beans – and after taking the ferry over, walked back. In so doing I stopped by a couple more stores and picked up even *more* new beans! A great haul.

One of those stops was at Bedford Cheese Shop, which had some delightful beans I’d never met before – Sabarot Haricots Coco. So says Sabarot+Google Translate: “Smaller and more tender than white bar beans. Coconut beans can be eaten as well in salads, in soups, as with meat or fish. Beans come to us from South America, where they have been cultivated for 4000 years. They arrived in the 16th century in the luggage of great navigators. They have been cultivated in France since the beginning of the 20th century.”

So a nice chilly day is a great time to make these beans – both to try on their own and in a chicken (or not!) noodle soup.

Ingredients: Beans

• 300g Haricots Coco
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• olive oil
• salt

Procedure: Beans

1. Cover beans, onion powder, garlic powder, bay leaf, and olive oil with 2″ water
2. Bring to boil; boil for 10 minutes, then lower to simmer
3. When beans are softening, add salt to taste; set aside with their liquid

Ingredients: Soup

• 300g cooked Haricort Coco bean with liquid (a bit more than 1 cup, scooped)
• 1L Chicken Stock (or veggie if going all-veg)
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 125g (about one cup) shredded chicken (optional if going veg)
• 125g pasta, snapped or cut in half
• olive oil
• salt
• cracked black pepper

Procedure: Soup

1. If using dry pasta, cook pasta to just short of al dente and set aside; if using fresh pasta, wait until step 6 below
2. Heat oil to medium in heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven; add carrot, onion, and celery, with a bit of salt and cracked pepper; cover to sweat for a minute or two, then cook uncovered until veggies begin to soften
3. Add chicken, and stir to combine
4. Add beans and their liquid, and stir to combine
5. Add stock and simmer for about 15-20 minutes
6. Add pasta and cook 2-3 minutes, until pasta is fully cooked – serve and enjoy!