The Versatile Bean

           A bright green basket full of string beans clearly signifies that summer gardens are at their peak. Like peas, it is one of the most common vegetables on an American dinner plate and many a Thanksgiving table would look bereft without them. But garden fresh they make an excellent snack raw with or without a dip.

          String beans are but one form of this edible plant. New England baked beans are familiar to us in any season and beans have been an important source of protein world- wide in history. They were cultivated in Europe more than 4000 years ago and archeological digs have found them in Peru from around the same time. The tombs of ancient Egyptian kings held them as necessary accompaniment to afterlife.

          In more modern times we favor beans in our diet for their versatile shapes and flavors in their roles in soups, salads, side dishes and even pickles. Here are a few recipes that have featured in my kitchen these past weeks.

                             Easy Pickled Dilly Beans

           Have ready 2 clean pint canning jars with fresh lids.  Pick or purchase 1 ½ pound very fresh string beans. Most beans these days do not have strings, so you only need to wash and cut off the ends.

1)    Bring water to boiling in a wide pot. Add beans in 3 successive  batches and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Remove with tongs each batch to ice water for rapid cooling.

2)    Drain and partially dry by wrapping in a paper towel.

3)    In each of 2 pint jars place: 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp. dill seed, 1 tsp. mustard seed and ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes. Lay each jar on it’s side.

4)    Trim the cooked beans to fit upright in the pint jar and pack them tightly in the jars. Use trimmed ends for soups or salads.

5)    In a small pot bring to boil: 1 ½ cups white vinegar, 1 ½ cups water and 1 ½ tblsp. salt. Pour over the beans in upright jars to within ½ inch of the rim. Immediately cover with the cap tightly.

6)    When cool, tighten the cap again and it will have pulled a vacuum in the jar. Store in refrigerator for at least 2 weeks for flavors to blend. The jars under vacuum will keep refrigerated for months.

Bean salads, featuring white or black beans or even lentils provided substantial additions to our summer menus during the recent hot spell in Maine. While it is possible to make these recipes with canned beans, for a superior texture of such salads it is preferable to soak dry beans overnight and cook them in salted water for 1 hour, before draining and tossing with the dressing, which is absorbed by the warm beans.

                   White Bean, Chorizo and Sundried Tomato Salad

Soak and cook ¾ cups Cannelini, small white beans favored in Italian cooking, or Flageolets verts, French immature white beans.

1)    Cook beans well covered with water and: 3 large sage leaves (or ½ tsp. dried sage), ½ tsp. tarragon, 1 tsp. salt, 1 sprig lemon thyme and 1 tblsp. dried minced onion.

2)    Drain beans, remove herbs and immediately toss with dressing: 2 tblsp. red wine vinegar, 2 tblsp. light olive oil, ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1/3 cup julienned sundried tomatoes.

3)    When cooled, stir in 2 chopped scallions with the green parts and 4 oz. ready to eat chorizo diced in small pieces.

4)    Chill and serve on lettuce and basil leaves.

 Contrasting colors always lend eye appeal to cold salads. The barley and lentil salad could also made with black beans, which require soaking and cooking twice as long as lentils.

                   Beluga Lentil and Barley Salad

Set to cook in 2 pots: one for barley and one for lentils

1)    ¾ cup well rinsed barley well covered with salted water

2)     ¾ cup Beluga (black) lentils, 1 tblsp. dried minced onion, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. thyme.

3)    Cook both for 25 minutes, drain and toss together.

4)    Toss with dressing:  juice of ½ lemon, 2 tblsp. white wine vinegar, ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, 3 tbslp. grapeseed oil.

5)    When cool, toss with: ¼ cup chopped parsley, 1 tblsp. chopped dill weed, 3 chopped scallions, 1 seeded and diced green pepper, ¾ cup halved grape tomatoes.

6)    Chill and serve with hard-boiled egg wedges.

 The basic flavor of beans melds easily with other flavors. So, each dried bean salad can be an exploration of new flavor combinations depending on your own spirit of adventure and current ingredients in your own kitchen. Happy and delicious exploring!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine 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)