I recently became a Rancho Gordo Bean Club member, and the day I received the note admitting me to the institution was a good one. My initial shipment arrived shortly thereafter, and the selection pleased me.
I chose to open the bag of San Franciscano first; I had never cooked with this bean, and was curious about its flavor, consistency, and utility. It’s a Mexican heirloom bean that hails from Puebla and Hidalgo, its color is beautiful, and it is, as I found, versatile.
I’ll skip the primer here about prepping beans for cooking, as I am confident most people who cook know about rinsing and sorting. I will, however, state that giving my fresh beans a pre-soak has become a habit, mainly because doing so reduces cooking time. Rinse them in cold water, discard any debris, and soak them for several hours; if you decide to do this overnight, put your soaking beans in the refrigerator. (If, however, you don’t have time for a soak, don’t fret and read on.)
I tend to start the process on a weekend morning and cook the same day. As I wrote, you can skip the soak and simply bring the beans to a hard boil for 15 minutes, then simmer until done. Exceptions to this: larger beans — chickpeas, large lima, gigante, and cannellini, among others, or older beans (more than, say, two years old) — which a pre-soak benefits in several ways, including helping to prevent their skins from breaking during cooking.
When you are ready to cook your beans, do this: chop a carrot or two, and an onion, and sauté them in a little olive oil in the pot you are using. Celery and garlic are also good in this mix. Add the beans, and water to cover — I follow the 2-inch rule, meaning, 2 inches of water above the beans. Bring to a hard boil for 10 to 15 minutes, then simmer, covered, until done. You can use the lid as a regulator to adjust the simmer. I like a long and slow cook, as I’ve found that allows the broth to fully develop its flavors. No rush.
I sometimes cook a full pound of beans, depending on how I plan to use them, and often cook half a bag. Either way, salt them only after they are done, and use moderation; the beans will gradually soak up the salt, so their flavor will change in stages. You can always add more salt later.
Now you decide how to eat your beans. A good move is to add them to meals throughout the week. Tacos, soups, stews … the options are infinite. The San Franciscanos were excellent served on the side of a turkey burger, and I also used some in a stew I made that included tomatoes and celery.
Cooking relaxes me, helps quiet thoughts about concerns and discordant happenings, things troubling me and over which I hold no control. War, corruption, venality on the part of FIFA’s leadership, aging parents, the DOJ’s cruise to sycophancy and criminality. On the day I first opened the San Franciscano beans I began a sourdough starter and baked a few loaves of bread.
A tomato tart has been on the recent menu as well, along with some quail, the latter served with roasted peppers.
I brush some olive oil on the whole peppers and cook them on high heat in a grill ; cover them with a lid or foil while they cook.
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