A pot of these deliciously perfect, brothy beans takes about 5 minutes of active time and will give you so many meal options! AND YOU DON’T NEED TO SOAK THEM!! - as long you’re buying decent beans that haven’t been sitting around for years. If you’re not sure, give them an overnight soak.
My favorite are from Rancho Gordo. This will work with any type of bean. Typically we use a varietal of a white, black or pinto bean.
This technique is a combination of what I learned from the Rancho Gordo method and from a Heidi Swanson recipe. My favorite way to eat them is with the broth, toasted sourdough with a little butter melted in, shaved Parmesan, a handful of arugula and hot sauce or something with kick (these are fermented Calabrian chilis) - don’t forget a squeeze of lemon or lime to make it pop.
Ingredients:
•1 lb dried beans, preferably organic
•Water
•Garlic
•Olive oil
•Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme or sage)
•Crushed red pepper or a split chili (Fresno, jalepeno, Serrano, etc.)
Preheat oven to 275. Add dried beans to an oven safe pot (like a Dutch oven) with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Throw in 3-5 cloves peeled and smashed garlic, a sprig or two of fresh herbs (I’ve used thyme, rosemary and sage, all with great results.) Drizzle in a few tablespoons olive oil. If you like spicy, add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper or a fresh pepper cut in half. Cover pot and place in oven for 2-3 hours. I’ve also simmered them slowly on the stove and that works too, but oven is more foolproof.
Smaller beans will take less time than bigger beans. To tell if they’re finished, put one on the counter and see if you can smoosh it easily with your finger. Once they’re finished, season with salt, I usually end up using about 2 teaspoons kosher salt for the whole pot.
You can eat them warm in the broth, with rice, in quesadillas, in salad, in soup, with pasta and greens, with sautés greens, in tortillas, etc....
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