Edible Expert - Winter's Bounty in a Bean Shell
Did you hear the news that Cory Schreiber, the former chef/owner of Wildwood Restaurant, was recently hired by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA)? He’s going to help ODA find a way to get more Oregon grown or produced foods into our public schools. Hooray! If he can get the kids eating his Cannellini Beans with Chanterelles (recipe), he’ll be a hero in my book. -Deborah Kane
Photo by Christine Hyatt
WINTER'S BOUNTY IN A BEAN SHELL
By Cory Schreiber
For Winter 2008
This winter, I’ve been cooking a lot of vegetarian meals at home. Not surprisingly, when I reach into my pantry, I go for the shell beans. They excite the winter menu with their endless variety of colors and shapes, adding a textural component to winter soups, salads and ragouts. Shell beans are nutritious (high in protein, iron, B vitamins and fiber), filling and, when cooked with a patient hand, result in a delicious meal.
In my restaurant career, shell beans were rarely “worthy” of the fine dining experience—that is, until Ayers Creek Farm introduced their fresh heirloom shell beans at Wildwood Restaurant. Since then, shell bean dishes have been appearing frequently on fall and winter menus: scarlet runners (a fleshy black-purple bean) added to a hearty salad with chicory, bacon and croutons; cannellini beans simmered slowly in their broth with a bouquet of herbs and root vegetables, to be spiked later with a dollop of parsley pesto; large white corona beans flash-fried and seasoned with coarse sea salt and fresh lemon juice, creating a crispy, blistered shell with a creamy interior—a perfect finger food.
Unlike other foods that often taste better fresh, I admit I can’t taste the difference between dried shell beans and fresh ones. Of course, dried beans do take longer to cook. Differences between the beans themselves include size (the larger the bean, the meatier the texture) and color (the darker or richer the color of the skin, the more pronounced the bean color and its stock will become during the cooking process).
Beans are incredibly versatile, and you can often use them interchangeably, depending on what’s available in your pantry or at the farmers’ market.
SOAKING SHELL BEANS
Rinse beans under cold, running water, then place them in a soup pot. Cover the beans with three inches of water and let the beans sit at room temperature for eight hours or overnight. Soaking beans reduces the cooking time and helps to break down the beans’ indigestible oligosaccharides. (Notice the letters “g,” “a,” and “s” in the word oligosaccharides—enough said.) After the beans have soaked, drain and rinse well.
COOKING SHELL BEANS
Return the beans to a clean soup pot. Cover the beans with three inches of water, and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. As the beans come to a boil, you may notice foam on the water’s surface. Skim off and discard. Cover and reduce heat so the beans simmer until they are tender, but the skin remains intact. I like to add flavor while the beans simmer—a bay leaf, half a shallot or small onion, a few thyme sprigs, a clove of garlic, a spoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Depending on the beans’ age and size, the cooking time will vary between one to two hours.
You will be rewarded if you cook beans gently and patiently. Never introduce an acidic liquid (like tomato juice or vinegar) during the initial simmering because it will retard the cooking process. The cell walls of the bean will not soften and will instead remain slightly hard and chewy. Add acidic ingredients after the beans have cooked.
STORING COOKED BEANS
Cooked beans can benefit from sitting a day in their liquid, since their natural flavor will continue to infuse the broth. You’ll notice that as the beans cool, they may release a gelatinous texture. This is a natural starch. If the texture is undesirable, simply rinse the beans in cold water before using them. Store cooked beans in their liquid for up to three days in the refrigerator.
Cory Schreiber is a James Beard award-winning chef best known as the former owner and chef of Wildwood Restaurant and author of Cooking from the Source.
RECIPE - CANNELLINI BEANS WITH CHANTERELLES, SAGE AND DELICATA SQUASH
