What's YOUR Favorite Bean Recipe

[shel]

Beans are rapidly becoming an important part of my diet, and I eat then around four times per week. Do you have a favorite bean recipe or idea you'd like to share? Here's one of mine to get things started:

Chickpeas in a Lemon Basil Garlic Marinade

[/size]1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
½ cup EV olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbs cracked black pepper
2 small-med cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Combine balsamic and lemon juice, whisk in oil a little at a time, add the rest of the ingredients.
Toss 1 1/2 cans drained and dried chickpeas, or one cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight and cooked up the next morning, with marinade, and refrigerate over night . Will keep for up to two weeks. Perfect addition to antipasto platter.
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The above is the original recipe that I got from Jim Tarantino back in 1990 or so. I'd not made it in years, and when I made it recently I followed the recipe as written. For my taste I'd like a little less oil, an oil that's a little milder than the one I used (Bariana EV Late Harvest), or perhaps just some more lemon juice, and some more cracked black pepper. In any case, it's damned good! and Inow make it a couple of times amonth.

shel

[OregonYeti]

My Mom's Bean Curry
In the corner of India near Myanmar (Burma) live the Naga people, who I grew up with. This is one of my favorite foods they make. You want to have fresh beans plus dried-type (canned is fine). I like a mixture of bean types, maybe 3 15-oz cans, each a different kind. Kidney beans and garbanzos and butter beans, perhaps. If you like tofu, it also goes really well with this--cube firm or extra-firm tofu and add it at the same time as the beans. Make it mild or spicy by excluding or including the cayenne pepper.

2 T veg oil
2 t garam masala or curry powder
1 t turmeric
-->heat the spices in the oil
2-3 yellow onions, chopped
-->fry in the oil 'til a little browned, stirring often
--> add:
1 lb fresh beans (green, yellow, whatever)
about 5 cups or 3 cans cooked shell-type beans (if canned, rinse well)
* include tofu in this amount if desired
1-2 tomatoes, chopped, or sauce
3-5 bay leaves
water to cover beans
3-4 chopped cloves garlic
2 t grated fresh ginger
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

--> cook 'til the fresh beans are done, salt to taste
--> serve on plain rice--I recommend basmati
This bean curry is just as good 2 days later.

[Mapiva]

Oops I mean soup!

My favorite of all soups. Completely vegetarian although in some parts of greece they sautee pancetta and start the soup that way. The beans must be soaked over night.

-1 package navy or yankee beans
-1 large onion diced
-1 large green pepper diced
-1 red pepper diced
-1 carrot diced
-1 stalk celery diced
-1 29oz can crushed tomato
-1/2 cup olive oil
-chopped fresh parsley, dill, and fennel fronds-

1. After overnight soaking, drain and refill pot with fresh water.
2. Bring to a boil, simmer 5-10 minutes. Drain and refill pot with fresh water.
3. Bring beans to a boil again. Drain and reserve the boiled water. Set beans aside for later.
4. In the pot add the oil and sweat the onion, peppers, carrot, and celery.
5. Add the beans to the pot and sautee with the rest of the veggies. At this point you'll know if you have enough olive oil or too much. The beans should absorb most of it before adding the liquid, otherwise spoon up the excess from the bottom. Likewise if too dry and the beans are sticking add more.
6. Add the crushed tomato and let it incorporate. Season with salt.
7. Fill the pot 1 inch over the beans with the reserved liquid.
8. Let simmer on low 45min-1 hr. Turn the heat off and stir in the chopped herbs.

Serve with cracked pepper. This was a favorite in our house it thickens up and we ate it with big crusty chunks of bread and smoked herring on the side. You can also add some hot pepper to it as well for spiciness.