Welcome to the second edition of the newsletter I’ve been trying to start since.... February? It’s a month? 6 weeks? late, I’m drafting it as I’m supposed to be editing some episodes or doing laundry or studying the wine list for work, or, the healthiest option: joining our dog Frida for an afternoon nap.
This week it’s about moving slow, at your own pace, something I’m terrible at doing. I move at my own pace, sure, but my pace is petal-to-the-metal, full-throttle-at-all-costs, dangerously fast.
Yesterday I returned to work after taking a bit of a break to visit Mexico City (amazing, updates on that coming next week or next month, who knows?). By the end of my shift, I was in so much back and neck pain that I couldn’t turn my head in either direction. But I literally didn’t notice, not until the pace of orders coming into the kitchen slowed down and guests started to dawdle out.
It’s funny, earlier that day I had planned to meditate for 15 minutes before heading out for work. I ran out of time doing household chores, making lunch for my partner and I, and jotting down notes for prep, i.e. not taking a break. That’s one type of going steady I guess, cruising steadily to injury, exhaustion, the floor. I don’t recommend it. Instead, I’m taking advice this week from my boss “Stabilize yourself.”
For instance, right now I’m sitting with my neck on a heating pad with Frida pawing at the laptop as if to say “Knock it off and relax.” If you hadn’t guessed already, this week your recipe is for beans.
It’s not even really critical to have a recipe for beans, to me it feels a little bit like having a recipe for scrambled eggs – superfluous. Some people soak them, other people don’t. Some people start with a mirepoix or sofrito, other people don’t. I make beans slowly – I learned the hard way after a few too many crunchy bean fiascos.
But beans are patient, responsive, and inexpensive (perhaps the three things I value most in an ingredient) so I had plenty of time and opportunity to tweak my approach. I’ve found that as intense as I’d like to be at all hours, I need a little rest and that’s what a good bean is. Your recipe will say two hours, your beans will plaintively ask, “What’s the hurry? Take a load off, we’re just fine here on the stove thank you very much.”
As I said, there are many ways to make beans, but the best way takes a long, long, long time.. Over 24 hours. It took me a little while to get into the swing of remembering to soak my beans, but somewhere around month 3 of my 6 month minestrone addiction, I finally got it jammed into my little tiny head that when I brush my teeth for bedtime, I soak my beans.
Do yourself a favor, take a break from the kitchen, from standing at the counter, from whatever it is that’s threatening to burn you out. Put some beans in cold water and go to sleep, when you get home from work tomorrow or before you go, put them on the stove. They’ll be there when you’re ready, creamy, soft and easy-going. Stable.
Ingredients:
2 cups of dried beans (your choice, but I really like cranberry and white beans, like navy or cannelini)
Cold water
Salt
Onion, diced
Carrot, peeled and diced
Celery, diced
Garlic, crushed with the side of a knife
2-3 bay leaves
1-2 chile de arbol
Thyme, rosemary, savory (any woody herb will do)
Preparation:
Soak your beans: Begin by placing the dried beans in a large bowl. Cover them completely with water, leaving about two inches between the tops of the beans and the water level (they’ll grow as they soak up water and you don’t want them to get exposed to the air and dry out). Now go to sleep, or leave the house, or forget you were soaking beans for 6-8 hours. You can salt the water if you like, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.
Make your sofrito: I hope you took a break, enjoyed yourself a little, even. Heat a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat and add oil to cover. When the oil is warm add the onion, celery and carrot. Sprinkle salt over the top and leave to soften, stirring occasionally.
Bloom your spices: When the veggies are soft, add bay, chile de arbol, the crushed garlic and the herbs you’ve selected. Let toast for just a minute in the oil, not too long at all.
Add the beans: Drain the beans from their soaking water and rinse them off. Add them to the pot and cover with about 6 cups of water.
Wait: Let the beans cook for a long, long time tasting to test salt levels and texture. Bring them to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Skim foam that rises to the surface as you go, or don’t if you haven’t got the patience. I’ve read arguments on both sides.
Let them cool in their water. Drain them and save the bean water to store the beans in. You can stir in sautéed vegetables, that salsa verde from last week to eat the beans as a main dish. You can use them in any recipe that calls for a can of beans and find how nice it is not to taste aluminum in your pasta e fagioli or use them in recipes that call for cooked beans.
Bean Resources:
Where to find good beans: Rancho Gordo, Zursun, and bulk bins at your grocery stores.
Someone who knows more food science than me on cooking beans.