If you like beans, you have probably discovered canned beans. They are convenient, flavorful, fast and come in many, many varieties. Many people believe, however, that beans cooked at home from dried beans are more flavorful – and dried beans are about one third less expensive – not that beans are an expensive protein source compared to meat in any case! But cooking dried beans can use a lot more energy, increasing the cost and prep time. What to do?
Pressure cooker. Beans can be cooked quickly in a pressure cooker if they are soaked for at least 6-8 hours beforehand (they can be pressure cooked without soaking, but they will take much longer). Two to three minutes of energy in a pressure cooker is all beans need – hard to believe, but true. Lots of the cooking occurs by leaving the beans in the pressure cooker as the cooker de-pressurizes naturally – over about 15-20 minutes. So while it may take 20-30 minutes in total to cook the beans, you only use 2-4 minutes of energy to do it. And 30 minutes is not so bad for a great, healthful vegetarian bean dish.
These recipes are staples for us at home. Mark Bittman of the New York Times encouraged us in a recent lecture to cook a pot of beans each week. He is not professing that we all become vegetarians, but that we should become “eat less meat-arians”. He believes that the benefits to our health and to our agricultural resources and environment will be huge even with just a small shift to less meat. I fully agree.
Serves these stews with any bread like corn bread or flat bread.
Navy Beans Provençal
2 leeks, washed and diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp herbes de Provence – mixed dried French herbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. dried Navy, white or Cannellini beans
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup pearl barley
2 tomatoes, diced and drained
Pick through beans and remove any foreign objects, like sticks or stones – that might hurt you. Rinse beans several times and drain. Soak beans in a large bowl full of water on the counter all day or over night. If soaking the night before, drain beans in the morning and put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Sauté leek, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a pressure cooker pot until vegetables are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, stock and barley and cover pressure cooker. Don’t salt the beans before cooking – salt hardens bean shells and keeps them from cooking. Bring up to high pressure for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Let the pressure cooker de-pressurize naturally – about 20 minutes. Don’t actively release pressure rapidly because beans are likely to explode and the dish can become very mushy.
Meanwhile, sauté the tomatoes in a non-stick skillet in plenty of olive oil over very, very high heat. They should sizzle and even brown to caramelize. Stir only a few times to let the tomatoes darken and keep them from disintegrating. When pressure is reduced, remove pressure cooker lid and salt (generously) and pepper to taste. Add tomatoes and reserved liquid and cook another 5-10 minutes to let flavors meld. Adjust thickness with water if necessary.
Garbanzo Bean Pot
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. dried garbanzo beans
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup pearl barley
Pick through beans and remove any foreign objects, like sticks or stones – that might hurt you. Rinse beans several times and drain. Soak beans in a large bowl full of water on the counter all day or over night. If soaking the night before, drain beans in the morning and put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Sauté onion, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a pressure cooker pot until vegetables are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, stock and barley and cover pressure cooker. Don’t salt the beans before cooking – salt hardens bean shells and keeps them from cooking. Bring up to high pressure for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Go work out while you let the pressure cooker de-pressurize naturally – about 20 minutes. Don’t actively release pressure rapidly because beans are likely to explode and the dish can become very mushy.
When pressure is reduced, remove lid and salt (generously) and pepper to taste. Adjust thickness with water if necessary.
Pinto Bean Stew with Greens
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrot, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
½ lb. boneless pork (from leftover roast or chops), cut in ½-inch cubes (or ¼ cup pearl barley)
1 lb. dried pinto beans
1 tsp cumin seeds
dash red pepper flakes
palmful of fresh herbs such as sage and oregano, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups chopped kale and/or collard greens
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
Pick through beans and remove any foreign objects, like sticks or stones – that might hurt you. Rinse beans several times and drain. Soak beans in a large bowl full of water on the counter all day or over night. If soaking the night before, drain beans in the morning and put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Sauté onion, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a pressure cooker pot until vegetables are beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, red pepper, herbs and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, stock, pork or barley, and kale and cover pressure cooker. Don’t salt the beans before cooking – salt hardens bean shells and keeps them from cooking. Bring up to high pressure for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Go work out while you let the pressure cooker de-pressurize naturally – about 20 minutes. Don’t actively release pressure rapidly because beans are likely to explode and the dish can become very mushy.
When pressure is reduced, remove lid and salt (generously) and pepper to taste. Adjust thickness with water if necessary.
Black Bean Soup
1 lb bag dried black beans
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, minced
dash red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
Pick through beans, rinse and soak beans in a big bowl of water all day long – at least 8 hours. Drain beans, rinse and drain again. Meanwhile, in a pressure cooker pot, sauté onion, celery and carrots (mirepoix) in a bit of olive oil until well softened and browned a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, garlic and red pepper flakes for the last 2 minutes, cooking until fragrant. Add the beans, chili powder, cocoa powder and stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover pressure cooker tightly and raise pressure to high and then lower heat to maintain consistent high-pressure for 4 minutes. Remove pressure cooker from heat and let cooker reduce pressure naturally (about 15-20 minutes) – go for a swim, a walk, run on your treadmill or play your guitar. Anything to let you walk away from the pressure cooker!
When pressure is completely reduced to normal atmospheric pressure, remove lid and add the tomato sauce – never add acidic materials like tomatoes to beans before cooking as they can toughen the skins during cooking, which is not what you want for a creamy black bean soup. Adjust salt to taste and mash some of the beans or adjust with water to achieve your desired thickness.
1 large leek, washed, drained and diced
