Cooking Great Beans Boils Down to Four Crucial Steps

Lima Beans with Broccoli Rabe and Chanterelle Mushrooms

There is nothing I love to cook more than a pot of beans. Simple, humble yet undeniably delicious, beans are a dish I always come back to….. maybe because it’s something that I’ll never completely master. I can always cook a better pot of beans….. whether it’s achieving more even cooking, incorporating more flavor, or pulling them off the stove at just the right time. The opportunities to get it right - or wrong - are endless.

While I’m no expert, I’ve cooked up my fair share of beans and gathered a few tricks and tips to ensure they come out tender and full of flavor. Cooking great beans boils down to 4 crucial steps:

1. The Soak

   The soak time depends on how old and how thick-skinned your beans are. For fresher, thinner-skinned beans, a hot water soak for 2-3 hours is usually sufficient enough to prime them for cooking. Older or thicker skinned beans benefit from an overnight cold soak (12 hours at least) to gradually rehydrate. With each of these techniques I always season the soaking liquid with salt and a dash of baking soda. This ensures seasoning penetrates deep into the bean. The baking soda creates an alkaline environment that breaks down the bean’s cell walls, helping them cook faster and making them easier to digest.

2. The Aromatics

   Now beans can vary in flavor and texture wildly but ultimately think of them as a canvas to introduce other flavors. I always add alliums (leeks, onion, shallot, garlic), dried herbs or spices (like bay leaf and peppercorns), and a good amount of fat (I love olive oil). Since beans contain very little fat, incorporating it ensures. that you have a richer more flavorful finished product. You can even get wild and use some animal fats like duck, chicken, or pork. Pro tip: sauté your aromatics in the fat before adding the beans for even more depth of flavor.

3. The Cooking Liquid

   Now water works just fine and frankly, this is what I typically use, but stocks, broths, and even a little wine can help further infuse flavor while cooking. This is also where I double down on the salt and baking soda to further tenderize and season the final dish.

4. Some Acid

   I always think the best beans are finished with a little bit of acid. Acidity enhances other flavors, cuts some of the fat and brightens up the overall dish. Most simply, this can be done with a dash of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon. But I also love to make a bright, zippy salsa verde with whatever herbs I have on hand, a little olive oil and some acid - whether it's lemon zest and juice or a nice vinegar.

Lima Beans with Chanterelles and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound, Dried Lima Beans (I used Rancho Gordo)

• 8 ounces of pearl onion, peeled

• 3 cloves garlic, sliced

• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, stems and tops separated, both sliced into bite-size pieces

• 4 ounces chanterelles mushrooms

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 (4x6 inch) piece of kombu

• Pecorino Romano Cheese to garnish

• freshly ground black pepper to garnish

• salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Hot Soak the Beans: Bring water to a boil and pour it over the dried beans in a heatproof container. Add a pinch of baking soda and 1 tbsp kosher salt. Allow the beans to soak and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

2. Prepare the Mushrooms: In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the chanterelle mushrooms until browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt, then remove from the pot and set aside.

3. Sauté Vegetables: In the same Dutch oven, sauté the pearl onions until charred, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe stems and sauté for an additional 3 minutes seasoning with salt.

4. Cook the Beans: Drain the soaked beans and add them to the Dutch oven. Cover with water and add the bay leaf, kombu, 2 tsp kosher salt and a pinch of baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure the beans are submerged and adding water if needed.

5. Add Broccoli Rabe Tops: Stir in the broccoli rabe tops and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed.

6. Serve: Ladle the beans and vegetables into bowls. Garnish with the reserved mushrooms, a big squeeze of lemon juice, freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm.