You Don’t Know Beans

Growing up, I never would have expected to sing the praises of beans. But, of late, I’ve come to admire the lowly pods of protein and carbohydrates first domesticated in South America 10,000 years ago. Compare them with a hamburger. They’re both about one-quarter protein, but more than half of the remaining hamburger’s calories are fat, while only 4 percent for beans. They’re high in fiber, both the insoluble kind that’s good for your digestive tract as well as soluble fiber that lowers the glycemic index of a meal as well as lowering both kinds of cholesterol. Combine beans with a bit of meat or fish, and they deliver a complete nutritional meal.

Even though I grew up in an agriculture-intense area, beans were not a big part of our menus. A can of Campbell’s Pork and Beans was the occasional vegetable offering in our meat-and-potatoes household. For a larger crowd, the canned beans were amped up with ketchup, brown sugar or molasses, and ground mustard and then baked. But dried beans were too time- and labor-intensive to appeal to a hungry brood.

Bean suppers

It wasn’t until recently that I came to appreciate the benefits and flavor of dried beans. They offer a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals as well as being an excellent source of anti-oxidants. For many of my fellow New Englanders, Boston Baked Beans are the first things that come to mind when you mention beans. Chili would probably come in second. And, for some, maybe even refried beans or minestrone. But we can do even better. We don’t have to go full cassoulet at this point, but how about cauliflower with cassoulet beans and capers, a delicious and fairly simple dish that we enjoyed this week (pictured)? Or grilled shrimp with white beans, sausage, and spinach? Or lentils with smoked sausage and carrots? Checking my menus, I’ve noted that beans were an ingredient in at least one dish each week since the beginning of October.

Better beans

Two things have uncorked my appreciation for dried beans. The first is my Instant Pot. I can add the dry beans, a few cups of water, and in less than a half hour under pressure, they’re ready. Even better if I soak them for a couple of hours before turning the pot on. The second is my discovery of Rancho Gordo, a mail-order purveyor of heirloom beans. This Napa, California company offers a variety of beans that allows you to up your cooking game. Sure, your local supermarket is offering a few more varieties of dried beans. But I’m guessing that most don’t have a flageolet or a mayacoba bean, not to mention the Eye of the Goat, Good Mother Stallard Bean, cranberry bean, or a cassoulet bean, their own version of the French tarbais bean grown in the land of California vineyards. I used the flageolet beans in my cauliflower, bean, and caper dish this week, and they were luscious. I’ve used a mix of cranberry beans and piquinto beans along with some dried kidney beans from the local supermarket to make a delectable pot of cowboy beans for a cookout in September. And supermarket white navy beans are perfectly fine for a pot of U.S. Senate Bean Soup.

Beans’ benefits

Don’t take my word for the benefits. One seven-year study found that legume consumption was the most important predictor of survival in people aged 70 and older, according to Dr. Irina Todorov of the Cleveland Clinic. And, she added, continue to enjoy beans in the soups, stews, chili, and many other dishes popular around the world – and don’t fret about the musical interludes sometimes generated by eating beans. For most people, those “trumpet solos,” she noted, usually diminish as you continue to consume legumes and your system returns to normal.

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