|
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!
|
locations
Comments