Help Me With My Rancho Gordo Purchase!

Some cooks like to braise and stew and confit. Others have little patience for things that require advance planning and long cooktimes. Me? Squarely in the latter camp.

Which means, of course, that working with dried beans is definitely outside my repertoire. So far, my only experience with the soak-and-soak-then-cook-forever dried bean has been with Persian Aash-e-Resht-e, made from bulk bin beans.

So, after lots of nervous consideration and totally ignorant questions, I have finally made my first purchase from the King of Heirloom Beans, Steve Sando.

The pretty white beans on the right are Cellini Runner Beans which I can't wait to cook up and have on hand for my lunchtime salads - Steve said these are very rich and hold together better for salads than regular Runner beans.

On the left are Red Nightfall Beans which I'm not sure what to do with. From the RG website, "They hold their shape but almost melt in your mouth when you bite into them."

So tell me, what do YOU with your dried beans? Oh, and how long can I keep simply-cooked beans in the fridge?h

 

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Comments

[teri]

Soak overnight with about an inch of water to cover. Then, in the pot I will use to cook the beans, I saute an onion, a dried chili and either some rosemary or thyme in olive oil. Dump the pre-soaked beans in with their water, add more water to cover, bring to a boil and then let them simmer until tender (don't add salt until this point as it will stop the beans from cooking). I find that most of Steve's beans take about an hour to cook this way, although the big runner beans definitely take longer (at least on my stove). When you drain, hold onto the bean cooking liquid. I like to toss the beans when they are still warm with some olive oil because they soak it up really nicely.

Steve's beans are delicious in just about everything, but one of my favorite things to do is save the bean cooking liquid and then puree some of the beans with it for either a warm or cold soup (top with creme fraiche, herbs of your choice, or eat absolutely plain). The bean liquor is also great for using in place of stock or other liquid (I like to do this with gratins, which are a wonderful way to use the beans). I have eaten leftover beans as much as a week after I cooked them and they still taste delicious.

On your next visit to Rancho Gordo, be sure to pick up the Good Mother Stallard beans, which produce the most amazing bean liquor ever (even Steve, who hates to name favorites, will admit this). The borlotti are absolutely incredible, too.

[Tana]

I am a huge fan of Yellow Indian Woman and Black Nightfall, which almost have a pignole taste.

I think Teri's advice here is excellent: drizzle with oil. I have also used the large beans with shrimp, sage, and some Bravo Farms Sage Cheddar. Some diced tomatoes at the last minute (barely cooked, just enough to make them warm) would also add a bright note to the dish. Serve with rustic bread and a salad, and you'll be perfectly content.

Beans in the fridge in tupperware, or another tightly sealed container, should be fine up to a week, but obviously fresh is superior.

[Stephanie]

Hey, Fatemah,
This is what I did with my Rancho Gordo cannellinis:

Cannellini Bean Salad
Serves 4

For the Cannellinis:

1 lb Rancho Gordo Runner Cannellinis, soaked for 6-8 hours
Extra-virgin olive oil

For the vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons Champange vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

Preheat the oven to 400°

1. Put the soaked beans in an oven-proof baking dish. Apilco or china is preferable, metal can be too abrasive on the beans. Add water to cover the beans by about two inches. Slosh on a liberal amount of olive oil over the surface of the water. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and poke a few venting holes in the foil. Bake the beans for about 2 hours.

2. Whisk the vingar, mustard, and minced garlic together. In a slow drizzle, add the olive oil, whisking constantly, and toss in the salt and pepper.

3. Drain the beans and set them aside to cool in a large bowl. Gently fold the vinaigrette into the cooled beans and add the minced rosemary. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and let the beans marinate overnight.

4. When ready to serve, bring the beans to room temperature and serve with a glass of Sangiovese.