Basic Beans

Beans? But what about, um, you know…? Introduce and increase them very gradually into your diet and cook them properly from scratch to lessen the havoc they can wreak on some digestive tracts.

Dried legumes come in a fantastic variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are a valuable source of protein in any diet. This recipe works for all types of dried legumes other than split peas and lentils. Plan ahead when you cook beans—they require a lengthy soaking period to release a lot of their gas and reduce the cooking time. And since they cook for a while, cook a large batch—this will save on energy used and also leave you plenty for creating quick meals later in the week.

Each cup dry beans generally yields 3-4 cups cooked beans.

Ingredients:

• dried beans
• water
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 peppercorns

Method:

1. Sort the beans carefully: you may find small pebbles in the mix! Rinse well and place in a bowl with enough water to cover the beans by at least an inch.
2. Soak a minimum of 12 h, preferably up to 24 h, rinsing the beans and changing the water occasionally if you can.
3. Drain and rinse the beans, then place in a pot, adding enough cold water to cover by at least 2-3 inches, the bay leaf, and the peppercorns.
4. Cover and bring to a boil—watch carefully, or the beans will raise the lid and overflow when they reach the initial boil. 
5. Reduce the heat so that the water barely simmers when partially covered—boiling too rapidly will split the beans and result in mush. Don't ever let the water go below the top of the beans. You may need to add more water to keep the beans covered—bring back to a boil and reduce to a simmer if this happens.
6. Depending on the size of the beans and how long they were soaked, they will usually cook in 1-2 h. Start testing after 1 hour—the only sure test for doneness is to cut or bite one open—there should be no grainy, lighter-colored center. The skins should be tender and the centers creamy.
7. Cool to room temperature in the cooking liquid, then refrigerate or freeze in a tightly covered container.

Variations:

• Try cooking the beans in a variety of liquids—homemade stock or broth is wonderful for increasing flavor. You can add a bit of smoked ham or bacon or a ham bone to the liquid for added depth of flavor.
• You can add a variety of dried herbs—this is a good place to use those stems from thyme and rosemary that you’ve used in other recipes.

Do ahead:

• Beans can be cooked ahead of time and stored for up to a week refrigerated in their cooking liquid or kept frozen for up to 3 months, although they will be mushier once frozen and thawed. )

Tips & tricks:

• Do not add salt to the beans until they are fully cooked or until you season the dish they go in—adding salt during cooking toughens the skins and won’t allow the beans to cook through.
• If your water is very hard (full of minerals, such as well water often is, or you find the beans don’t cook in under 2 hours, add a pinch of baking soda when you start the cooking process.

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