Pleasant Living Magazine

In our September/October 2009 issue, our own Dan Gill, Ethno-Gastronomist, penned a piece on Brown Beans.  He has sent the following as an addendum.

After I wrote about brown beans cooked mountain style, I tried to find heritage beans similar to the “shelly” beans pioneers and Indians lived on in the mountains of Virginia. Some of the old varieties have been collected and preserved but none are commercially available. Then I discovered that the ancient Anasazi beans were being grown commercially in Colorado. I ordered some to try and found they were much better than pintos or other available varieties.

The Anasazi Indians were cliff-dwelling Pueblo peoples in the “Four Corners” region, which includes part of New Mexico and Colorado. Anasazi means “ancient ones” in Navaho. They flourished about 1,300 years ago and then mysteriously disappeared. One story goes that explorers found a pot of these beans in the long abandoned cliff dwellings and were able to grow them. Not only do these beans taste better than most varieties, they also cook quicker and contain less than twenty-five percent of the problem carbohydrates of other beans and they are therefore “socially acceptable.”

Cooking: Anasazi beans do not have to be soaked prior to cooking, so you do not discard the water-soluble nutrients and flavor components. Pick them over for rocks and other foreign matter, put them in a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil (you can also use potato water or un-salted stock for added flavor. I also add a teaspoonful of kelp powder). Reduce the heat and simmer at around 190 F for two to three hours, or until they get fairly tender. Add some salt pork, such as fatback, ham hock, bacon or jowl and continue to simmer for another couple of hours until they attain the desired tenderness and flavor.pl

Visit Something Different Specialty Foods and Deli for more uncommon (and delightful) cuisine!

Sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes) and blue potatoes make a creamy, healthy fall dish with this recipe. The Jerusalem artichoke—not from Jerusalem or an artichoke—is a species of sunflower native to the much of the United States. The tuber, or root, which looks like ginger but acts like a potato, makes its way into kitchens, and is a good source of potassium, iron, fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus, and copper. Blue potatoes, originally from South America, are especially valuable for their high level of antioxidants.

Spinach and Rockfish

Prep time about 10 minutes

Cooking time:  15-20 minutes

Place two squares of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Add a handful of spinach to each square and place a fillet on top of each square.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of each:  sesame oil or olive oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.  Salt and pepper to taste. Fold over top and pinch sides of foil, making a tight tent.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes a 500 degrees.

This makes a delightful dinner for two.

Pick up a copy of our November/December 2009 issue to read Steve Scala's assessment of the rockfish fishing in the Chesapeake!

1 cup dry currants

1 1/2 cups of golden and dark raisins

Place the dried fruit in a bowl and cover the fruit with the hot tea. Cover the bowl and allow this to soak overnight. The next day, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Pour the mixture into a 7” round pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Allow the bread to cool while still in the pan, on a wire rack.

Barm Brack is usually served buttered, at high tea.