Tag: ethnic food

Yesterday, we told you a bit about string beans. Today, we'll give you some ways to enjoy them once you've brought them home from the market.

Bean Recipes

It may also be that French onion soup mix green bean casseroles linger in the minds of some non-bean eaters. But with our exposure to more ethnic food these days, you can discover what other cultures do with beans and then create your own versions. 

Three cookbooks were by my side as I researched this topic: The New James Beard, Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka, and Salad as a Meal by Patricia Wells.

James Beard expressed my feelings that beans should be cooked, "… until the raw taste disappears but they still retain a fresh taste and a crispness to the bite."

Barbara Kafka has a great recipe for long-cooked Romano beans and Patricia Wells took string beans to Salade Nicoise perfection and beyond.

Romano bean

The Romano bean is a favorite with Italian cooks and it is one bean that needs a long, slow cooking method to tenderize its tough shell. Yesterday, Russ Parsons explained why you no longer have to sting beans. When it comes to this flat wide bean, Parsons suggests that you, “Simmer freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and pancetta; add Romano beans and stew until they’re tender, which could take 45 minutes or even longer. The texture is silky and the depth of flavor is amazing.” For a summer cookout, this could be a great slow cooker recipe.

Spicy Green Beans

Asian cooks like to add spice to beans. In a traditional Sichuan spicy green bean recipe, the beans are stir-fried in a very hot wok until they are tender, wrinkled, and slightly charred in a few spots. They are sauced with a mixture of rice wine, chili bean sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and salt. Finally, the beans are removed from the pan and chilies. Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger, and scallions are stir-fried for about 30 seconds and then the beans are returned and mixed.  

Bean Salad

In summer, you can add as many types of cooked beans as you like to your favorite vinaigrette and make a 3, 5, or 7 bean salad. This is a healthy side dish that you can bring to a potluck or keep in the refrigerator to make meal planning simpler during a busy week.

Last year, I reviewed the delightful cookbook, Morning Glory's Farm Food. One of the recipes I loved was for the Green Bean and Pasta Salad shown in the photo above in the book. 

Now that you are no longer someone who “doesn’t know beans” about beans, I hope you’ll celebrate when you see a bin of beans at the market. I recommend buying a bunch and doing something different with them that will make you “full of beans.”

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino  (Adapted for the web from one of her Fresh & Local Newspaper columns.)
Photos: ©2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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