THE HUMBLE BEAN

The Humble Bean

            New England bean suppers have long held an established culinary position in community events.  However, with the exception of string beans, family meals such as beans and hot dogs epitomize scraping the bottom of the barrel in home cooked food. Hence the undeserved humble image has long been attached to all bean varieties and legumes in general, such as cow peas (black-eyed peas), lentils and even garbanzos.

            And yet, while beans have often in the past been associated with poverty, their popularity seems to be getting a new life not only by the USDA and nutritionists, but also as an interesting side or main dish component in trendy restaurants. Suddenly legumes have been ‘discovered’ not only for their protein, fiber, carbohydrate, vitamin and mineral content, but also the variety of flavors that can be produced by different members of the legume family. As we discover and adapt the flavors of ethnic cuisine, we also discover that the legume has been a staple in pots from prehistoric times in all continents. So, in addition to chili and hummus, it is delightful to discover other delicious recipes that use lentils, peas and beans.

            Historically beans have been grown in different climates and in dried form can be easily preserved for winter and times of scarcity of other food stuffs. This quality probably explains why in some cultures, beans or some form of cow peas are eaten at New Year’s. In the South black-eyed peas in Hoppin’ John are eaten to insure luck for the coming year.  At Christmas and on New Year’s eve, an old Latvian custom calls to serve cooked ‘gray peas’, a form of cow peas that are actually brown and have a good nutty flavor, with the proviso that the number of peas left over predicts the number of tears in the New Year. Needless to say, a sincere effort is made to clean up your plate.

            Today, beans, chickpeas and even black-eyed peas are available in canned form, though lately I have noticed that the can contents have started to shrink for many brands. This makes the dried legumes even more economical to use, since a cup of dried beans or chickpeas will give you two cups after soaking and cooking. Except for lentils, which only require 30 minutes to cook, dried beans and peas/garbanzos benefit from an overnight soaking in plenty of cold water. After rinsing the soaked beans or peas, cover them with cold water, bring the pot to boil and continue to cook uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on the bean, until tender, but still intact. Add salt only after cooking to avoid toughening the skin of the bean.

            One of my all-time favorite bean recipes evolved through the years and is good as a casserole, especially in cold weather.  The original came from Carol, a secretary in our department of Microbiology, out West. This version uses canned beans, but cooked dried garbanzo and pinto beans are even better.

                                                Four Bean Casserole

            Cook 5 slices of thick bacon to near crisp and drain on paper towels and break up the slices. Pour off most of the fat and over high heat brown 1 lb. lean ground beef and 1 cup diced onions. Drain off extra grease and stir in ½ cup catsup, 1 tsp. salt, 1 Tblsp. yellow mustard, 2 Tblsp. apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 28-oz can un-drained vegetarian baked beans, 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans and 1 15-oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed, ½ tsp. liquid smoke and 1 bag frozen (edamame) soy beans. Add roughly crumbled bacon, stir together and bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

            Early in December I discovered at the Waldoboro Library a copy of Crescent Dragonwagon’s wonderful cookbook “Bean by Bean”, undoubtedly the ultimate bean cookbook.  Santa must have heard me enthuse about this book, so now I have a copy of my own to explore during this winter’s chilly months.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

BRING THE TORCH

Bring the Torch…

            ‘Swoosh..Sizzle..Mmm..’ were the sounds at  last week’s delicious opening of  the Friends of the Waldoboro Library 2013 Speaker Series. Dana Moos, the author of “The Art of Breakfast” was there to talk about her book and demonstrate that B&B artful entertaining was actually quite accessible outside her premises at Portland’s Pomegranate Inn.

            Being a firm believer in ‘Artful Plates’, as often mentioned in this column, my curiosity and wish to learn found me in midst of a large gathering at the library. From the beginning it was apparent that this was not going to be an ordinary event, since one of the first items that appeared on the table was a torch. And I do not mean a large flashlight, or a belated French Christmas carol prop “Bring the torch Jeanette Isabella..”. No, it was a moderate size butane blowtorch, sitting expectantly next to an assembly of plates, forks, sauces, sugar and fruit.

            Restaurants like to feature crème brûlée, which requires a blowtorch to glaze the top of this delicious desert.  Son Mark, a natural chef in his own right, loves to amuse male guests, boys and adults, by having trays brought to his workshop, where he wields his welding torch to finish off this dinner desert at home. But to do this at breakfast?  No crème brûlée, but Ms. Moos had taken broiled grapefruit with brown sugar to a much higher level.  With her vanilla sauce, different fruit when covered with raw sugar and deftly glazed with a blowtorch took on another dimension in both presentation and taste. The discussion in the room was lively and informational. The banana slices, tinged brown and slightly warm were a hit with everyone present.  I doubt that even nutritionists advocating us to eat more fruit and less sugar could resist these.

            My enthusiasm for this new culinary trick even got the attention of my husband, who usually confines his opinions only to the finished food product. But, we were actually speaking about a gadget from the hardware store! While he does not think I should touch the blowtorch in his workshop, he has offered to find me a kitchen worthy one.

            In the meantime I will have to continue with more gentle cooking methods in the kitchen for after dinner or brunch fruit presentations.

                        Sautéed Bananas or Pineapple in Praline Sauce

            Heat 1 Tblsp. unsalted butter in a large heavy skillet until just shimmering and sauté 2 bananas (halved lengthwise and crosswise) flat side down for 1 minute, turn and continue for another minute. Transfer to 2 desert bowls. If using pineapple: cut two  ¾ inch thick slices of fresh pineapple, peel, core and cut each in half, blot with a paper towel and proceed as with the bananas. For more servings, repeat the process with additional fruit, since you do not want to crowd the fruit on the pan during the sauté process. For the sauce, melt 2 Tblsp. butter in the same pan, stir in ¼ cup lightly packed brown sugar, ¼ tsp. ground cardamom, ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional),  ½ cup light cream or half and half and simmer for a couple of minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ tsp. lemon or lime juice and spoon over the sautéed fruit. If available, decorate with pomegranate seeds.

            This is the time of the year when all good gardeners dream of next summer’s vegetables and fruit.  I can’t wait until August’s peach crop and my new kitchen blowtorch!   

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)