Beans, beans, the musical fruit

[fifi]

I just got up to a predictably rainy day. Last night I put a batch of red beans in the crock pot and they are ready. Beans for breakfast? Why not. Now... I am talking Cajun Red Beans... Camellia brand with andouille sausage. This is the iconic dish of South Louisiana. The beans cook down into this creamy wonderfulness, destined to be served up over a bed of fluffy white rice, a splash of Tabasco for spice. Camellia brand is the only one that will do this. Other red kidney beans just don't achieve the same smooth texture. Luckily, my local Kroger now carries Camellia brand. I used to have to make a drive at least to Lafayette to get them. Onion, garlic, the andouille or sweet pickled pork is about all you put in there. Red beans were always "the special" on Monday (Tuesday?) menus. The tradition was that Momma made red beans on wash day. The red beans could simmer away on a back burner while she went about cleaning up the family's clothing.

Another favorite bean dish is pinto beans like my dad used to cook. The bean pot had an insane amount of bacon and some good chile powder. You never see the bacon fat. The beans "soak it up".

Then there are the black beans that a local restaurant (Topwater Grill) does like no other. I am still trying to get the recipe out of them.

What are your favorites? What are the traditions?

Edited September 21, 2003 by fifi (log)

[mamster]

This summer I went crazy for fresh shelling beans. The best thing I did with them, I think, was make "Tuscan Mountain Supper" from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's book. You cook the beans with olive oil, onions, tomatoes, parsley, and sage, and serve them alongside a salad. Pretty much everything in it was fresh from the farmer's market--it's the perfect end-of-summer meal.

Only after enjoying this did I realize: the entire meal is (gasp) vegan. So if you have any of that sort of person coming over, give this a try. Shelling beans are winding down, but now I have a bag of freshly dried shelling beans from earlier in the summer.

Cuban black beans can also be wonderful, and I have some andouille sausage in the freezer, which I think I'll stew with red beans, like fifi suggested.

[fifi]

Oh my... I had forgotten about fresh shelled beans, peas, whatever type of legumes. One of our "jobs" when out of school for the summer was to shell the beans that our parents grew on the country places. We did crowders, cream crowders, cream peas, and blackeyed peas. Shelled fresh, they are a whole different thing than the dried. I remember one year when dad bought the tractor complete with the planter thingy. He chose to "plant" blackeyed peas. He went roaring off and planted the equivalent of 5 miles of peas. This was all planted "too late" according to local wisdom. Well... In late August, we were out there picking peas in an ambient temperature of 105 with wet towels wrapped around our heads. We would weigh our pickings as we came in. I think we quit keeping score when we exceeded 2 tons. That put me off of blackeyed peas for a while. I do wish I could get my hands on some cream peas, though.

Edited September 21, 2003 by fifi (log)

[JAZ]

I've never been a huge fan of beans, but I have had a few memorable dishes that have started to convert me.

One was a typical Italian (or so I'm told) first course of grilled shrimp served over cannelli beans. In this particular rendition, the smokiness of the shrimp imbued the beans to result in a whole that was much greater than the sum of its parts. It's the first time I can remember that eating a dish with legumes made me want to cook them.

The other transcendental legume experience was a mixed grill at Bay Wolf restaurant (in Oakland CA) served on a bed of small white beans. Now it's true that grilled quail, lamb and duck sausage would make anything underneath taste pretty good, but these beans were simply perfect. The texture was creamy; the taste, subtle. (I even bought the Bay Wolf cookbook hoping that the recipe would be in there, but no luck.)

Does anyone know any tricks to get that creamy (not dry or chalky) texture in bean dishes?

[tanabutler]

I like all beans—fresh or dried. Cannelli, pinto, red beans, you name it. I'm especially nuts for Great Northern white beans with sage, especially in soup.

Edit: I just made the white beans with shrimp last week, JAZ. I put the beans in water, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Then I let them soak overnight. It works for me, creamy texture-wise.

Edited September 21, 2003 by tanabutler (log)

[Motochef]

Okay, I could not stand it. I had to have some beans when I read your post. However, the rain was enough to keep from going to the store, so I had to make do with stuff in the pantry.

Chicken stock, certified red beans form Louisiana (unfortunately not Camellia, but close enough for today) and some Great Northern beans. Hmmm. Soup. I also had some sausage in the ice box.

In the pan with the beans and sausage. Next, rings of sasusage. Then some chicken stock. A dash (okay, a few dashes) of Tobasco, a touch of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. After a short period of time, bean and sausage soup.

Normally when I do this I sautee a Trinity mix with garlic as well as puree some of the beans to thicken the stock. I didn't have time today.

The soup is not bad. In fact, I'll probably add it to Motomeals.

[beans]

Someone say 'beans' ???!!

[fifi]

motochef... shame on you. There is NOTHING close to Camellia brand red beans. I thought I taught you better than that.

Somewhere I read (here? McGee? Steingarten?) that the final outcome from dried beans depends on how old they are. The problem is, dried beans aren't usually dated. The Camellias I just cooked were dated "best used by Aug 2005" which meant to me that they probably aren't that old. All of the pre-soak, don't use salt, yada yada yada won't fix an old bean. An old bean will have a tough skin and will never achieve the creamy texture that a young bean will. I gave up all of that "technique" crap about cooking beans. I don't pre-soak, I season like I would any other dish and my beans are fine as long as I buy them where turn over is likely high and the beans are fresh.

Now I wish I could get my hands on some fresh limas.

[Pyewacket]

Cranberry and anasazi beans are my favorites--could they possibly be the same?. I love their rosey speckles and the creamy, almost herby flavor. I cook them with bay and a little thyme and serve with spinach and maybe a spicy pork chop. Yum!

[Toliver]

I grew up eating my Mom's Navy Bean soup. It was a budget stretcher so we had it often enough that I grew to despise it. But now as an adult, I crave and adore it. That's just how Life is, isn't it?

My mom would cook the beans with diced onion and smokey ham hocks that would fall apart during the long simmer. Finding chunks of the ham in your soup bowl at dinner time was like hitting the lottery. And, as if that soup wasn't good enough to be served by itself, Mom would make corn bread in a cast iron skillet. I'm sorry to inform you corn bread purists out there that it was usually a slightly sweet corn bread served with butter and honey. It was all that we knew when it came to corn bread.

Once the soup was ladled out, we'd also add a little cider vinegar to the beans. It added a little extra something. Today I'll sometimes add basalmic vinegar if I don't have cider vinegar on hand.

Thanks for the thread, fifi!

[MarkinHouston]

Fifi, get thee up to Canino's on Airline for some fresh Lady Crem peas. Boil until just barely tender, about 25 minutes or so. Drain and refresh, then add some finely minced onion and a balsamic vinaigrette. These are a great salad course, although they are best eaten by the light of the refrigerator door!

Have you already looked at Central Market for the Camellia red beans?

[PopsicleToze]

Fifi, you are right-on with Camellia red beans, the ONLY ones I use, and today is definitely a good day for them since it's damp and will rain most of the day. Will have them for lunch with french bread and a salad. However, growing up in the country, we always had them more as a side dish to fried pork chops or fried chicken and cornbread. Either way is good by me.

I don't think there is a bean I don't like -- great whites (with shrimp over rice), butter/lima beans with pork meat for flavor, and I eat fresh green beans with potatoes and bacon as a meal in itself.

Wait--there is one bean I can do without--garbonzos. Just don't like them. Even make my hummus with white beans.

[fifi]

Fifi, get thee up to Canino's on Airline for some fresh Lady Crem peas. Boil until just barely tender, about 25 minutes or so. Drain and refresh, then add some finely minced onion and a balsamic vinaigrette. These are a great salad course, although they are best eaten by the light of the refrigerator door!

Have you already looked at Central Market for the Camellia red beans?

Good tip about Canino's. Thanks. I don't go there too often since it is quite a trek. I may have to make an excursion for those peas, though.

Luckily, I also don't have to go into town to Central Market for my Camellias. Kroger has them!! Go figure.

[tryska]

i like navy bean soup too - with either ham or a smoked turkey leg in it.

i also like white beans, oil-packed tuna and red onions with some balsamic over it, and a chickpea, tomato and red onion salad flavored with a touch of barbecue sauce and fresh cilantro.

[Nick]

What are your favorites?

Pintos from a friend's garden.

Edited to say I gave him the seed years ago. Two different kinds.

Edited September 22, 2003 by Nick (log)

[mikeycook]

I had never had fava beans and had in fact avoided them since Silence of the Lambs, but when I found Paula Wolfert's recipe (from Andre Daguin) for a cassoulet with fresh fava beans, I became a convert. I now buy fresh favas several times each season and make the cassoulet at least once. I also am fond of fresh favas with just butter, salt, pepper and white truffle oil.

This year I might actually try them with liver... and a nice chianti.

I have seen fresh cranberry beans, but have never had them before. Pyewacket has convinced me to give them a try.

[Mayhaw Man]

Fifi, you are right-on with Camellia red beans, the ONLY ones I use, and today is definitely a good day for them since it's damp and will rain most of the day.  Will have them for lunch with french bread and a salad.  However, growing up in the country, we always had them more as a side dish to fried pork chops or fried chicken and cornbread.  Either way is good by me.

I don't think there is a bean I don't like -- great whites (with shrimp over rice), butter/lima beans with pork meat for flavor, and I eat fresh green beans with potatoes and bacon as a meal in itself.

Wait--there is one bean I can do without--garbonzos.  Just don't like them.  Even make my hummus with white beans. 

FOr those of you that have no clue about Camellia Red Beans they can be ordered on line from these people:

http://www.cajunfoodandgifts.com/food/beans/beans.html

Nolafoodie,

I used to buy Schweggman's Brand Beans before Schweggman's stopped making groceries. THey were the same thing, packaged in the same plant.

This is not to say that all store brand products from there were good. Remember Schweggman's beer? Gak!

I did like the civilized tradition of being able to get a draft to walk around and enjoy while shopping.

[fifi]

For those of you that like bean salsa concoctions, I urge you to try Goya brand canned beans. I think they are broadly available now in most grocery stores. You used to have to find a Latin market to get them. Goya seems to have perfected canning beans. All of the types I have tried have a nice texture but do not fall apart.

[Jinmyo]

Another vote for Goya.