Year of the Bean

Summer Heat: Baja Baked Beans

Talking with a friend the other week, they mentioned a black baked bean recipe, which sounded just perfect for this time of year. It’s a hot muggy day so not necessarily a classic time to fire up the oven… but having conceded to the A/C, I’ll make do. Ingredients 200 g Rancho Gordo Frijol Negro…
BBQ Season: Smoked White Bean Puree

With summer comes heat, and with heat comes a shift to lighter and less kitchen-heavy meals. I got some of the wonderful Alubia Blanca beans in my last Bean Club shipment, and when firing up the smoker to make babaganoush the other day (also a huge success), I decided “why not?” and threw in some…
Summer Feast: Anson Mills Sea Island Red Peas

In addition to the much-discussed wonders of Rancho Gordo, South Carolina’s Anson Mills has been doing amazing things bringing back and distributing grains from the Southeast US. Though mostly focused on rice, corn and wheat (their grits are divine), they do also have a few beans and peas, including the Sea Island Red Peas. I…
From Last Week! Black Chickpea Stew

A bit behind in documentation! This was my first stab at black chickpeas and a big win – they’re nutty, tasty, and hold together well. Ingredients 450g cooked black chickpea (I used Viola Biologico) 200g Russian kale, washed and chopped roughly 100g ramp bulbs, trimmed and minced 500mL reserved aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid) olive oil…
Memorial Day Beans: Flagolet Beans, Tomato, Goat Confit

Intro Ingredients 300g Rancho Gordo Flagolet Beans 300g roasted cherry (or other) tomatoes 200g goat (or other) confit (optional) 60 mL / 1/4 c. dry white wine one medium onion, chopped small three cloves garlic, minced 2-3 tsp. fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, or other herbs, chopped fine olive oil salt fresh black pepper Procedure Cook…
New Bean Week! Flor de Mayo Borracho Beans and Cornbread

Celebrating the arrival of a new Rancho Gordo shipment, I took Steve Sando’s advice and cooked the Flor de Mayo beans first, and then doubly took his advice in following (mostly, ingredients dependent) his recipe for them from the accompanying newsletter. Ingredients 1 lb./450g Flor de Mayo beans, soaked 2-4 hours 1 large white onion,…
Snowy May Day: Vaquero Beans and Kale

Because of course this year there would be snow on Mother’s Day weekend. Ingredients 250g Rancho Gordo Vaquero beans one bunch kale, de-stemmed, leaves chopped or torn small one medium onion, chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced olive oil salt Procedure Add a generous amount of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot, and heat to medium…
Corona Week: Gigantes in Tomato Sauce

So, yes. This is the week for Royal Corona beans. Really, that’s what they’re called. They’re really great beans that have a right-now-unfortunate name. Recipe courtesy the great John Dimatos! Ingredients 300g Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans (or a Greek gigante) 300g crushed tomatoes 300g cherry tomato, halved one onion, diced 3-4 cloves garlic, minced…
End of Rainy April: Veggie Chili, Redux

This time, spicy! Ingredients 200g Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Beans 150g Rancho Gordo Midnight Black Beans 150g Vermont Bean Crafters Krimson Beans 1 c. crushed tomato 1 onion, chopped small 1-2 roasted red peppers 2 mesquite smoked poblano peppers 2 New Mexico Hatch chili peppers 1 ancho chili pepper 1 pickled serrano pepper, chopped fine…
Rio Zape Beans

Thanks to Aaron Smithers for the tips! A handsome and tasty bean. Ingredients 250g Rancho Gordo Rio Zape Beans 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, smashed 1 ancho chili, rehydrated, seeded, diced and water conserved 1 pickled serrano pepper, seeded and diced 1 tsp. Burlap & Barrel Wild Mountain Cumin 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/4…