directions
Ingredients
- 2 cans of beans (14oz cans) such as barlotti, kidney, and/or pinto OR about 28 ounces of cooked dried beans*
- (Optional) dried kombu/sea kelp - about a 4 inch square.**
- 1 whole clove of garlic
- Juice from half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 packed cup of fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and dill Salt and pepper
Directions
- For this recipe, cook the garlic clove in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil for 1 minute.
- Add the cooked beans (with all the juices from the can. Do not strain) and heat through for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely chop all the herbs.
- When the beans are hot, turn off the heat and stir in the herbs, lemon juice, the rest of the olive oil, and good pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with toasts or as a side to any meal.
*If using dried beans:
This is recommended and Very easy but canned beans are probably the best canned food available, so definitely use those.
- Soak any amount of any kind of dried beans overnight in plenty of water.
- Drain and rinse beans, cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes (add the optional kombu at this time).
- After 10 minutes, remove the kombu, lower the heat to a very gentle simmer and cook uncovered until the beans are very soft and creamy. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to a few hours depending on the age of the beans.
- At this point, turn off the heat and add some salt to taste and a good dash of any vinegar besides balsamic. (Vinegars to try: wine, apple cider, rice wine, or plain white).
- Let the beans come to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Be creative with these lovely beans.
**Kombu is one of the main ingredients in ramen broth and helps with the pH balance for cooking beans. It can be easily found in any Asian grocery store or in the “International” aisle in major grocery chains.