Back to basics: room temperature rice and beans

We are in the midst of what some are saying is NYC's worst heat wave ever. I can believe it. While Annalena should be and NEEDS to be on the treadmill, huffing and puffing, her asthma is a bar to doing so when the temperature is above 100. And it IS above 100. I feel like I want to change clothes at least twice a day, because of the sweat. Not "perspiration," SWEAT. We hairy Italian gals SWEAT. Gets our moustaches wet and everything.

Now, by way of all this heat, I want all of you who are NOT cooks to remember something: when you want "something cool" to eat, while this is understandable, remember that someone has gone into the kitchen and cooked that dish, so that it could cook and become "something cool." That wonderful dish of ice cold creamy ice cream started with someone cooking a custard over some pretty high heat. The cold beef tenderloin (hmmmm..) had to be roasted at a high temperature. No self respecting cook is going to cook if s/he doesn't want to, all Annalena is saying here, is pay some respect and show some gratitude to the person who does the cooking for you. Or... do it yourself.


To our recipe: I sometimes sense that there is a prejudice against rice and beans. If you don't care for it, taste wise, fine and dandy, but if you are avoiding it because it's "common," or "it gives me gas," well, I think you better get over it and get some well cooked rice and beans. When the dish is made right, there is absolutely nothing common about it, and as far as the "musical fruit" issue goes, Annalena's sense is that this comes from poorly cooked beans, or a tendency to overeat them. There is a science behind the development of sufficient amounts of enzymes in your gut to process this stuff, and I will explain that in a private email if anyone is so interested. This is not the place for it.

Annalena believes that the prejudice against the dish comes from two areas, both centering on the same point: people are afraid to cook beans, or don't know how, or assume that it takes a long time to cook them.

I am NOT going to advocate using canned beans. They have their place, but not really in Annalena's kitchen. Yes, dried beans take time to cook, but it's untended time, and it's NOT THAT BIG A DEAL. What IS a big deal is tracking down good quality dried beans. I get them from "Rancho Gordo" out in California, from which this recipe derives. There is also a good source at the Union Square Farmer's Market, where you can also get some amazing tortillas.

It's odd to say something like this, but try to find out how old your dried beans are. There are "fresh" dried beans, and "old" dried beans, and if the beans are very old, you can cook them forever and nothing will happen. That is the main reason, I think, that people do not cook them. Heaven knows how long the beans have sat on a Supermarket shelf. There's a reason they're only 70 cents a pound. You get what you pay for, because even at a higher price, beans are not expensive.

So you've got your beans, now what should you do? Annalena has cooked her fair share of dried beans, and there are a million different sets of instructions for how to do it. SHe has never had any luck with the method that says "Bring dried beans to a boil for two minutes, and let them cool for an hour in the hot liquid. Uh, no. She's "old school" here. Put your beans under cold water and let them sit overnight.

IF the dried beans are "fresh" they will absorb a lot of the water, so make sure you use plenty: at least four times what you have in volume for dried beans. Just let them sit. Again, if they are fresh, you will get something the next day that looks like "ferment" on the top of the beans. That's just the starch and again, the fact that it's there is a sign you've got 'fresh' dried beans.

Pour off all that water, and cover the beans again, again with at least four times the volume of water. I put an onion, cut in half, a bulb of garlic, also cut in half , and a roughly cut carrot into my pot of beans. Also, contrary to what I was taught when I was first cooking, I do add salt. Not at first, but about halfway through the cooking, say after 45 minutes. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered.

How long should you cook? This is a very open question and it depends on how soft you like your beans, and how old they are. It will probably take at least an hour, probably closer to 1.5 hours for "al dente" beans, if they are fresh. That's why I add my salt after 45 minutes. Taste along the way. If the bean is creamy and soft enough for your taste, they're done. If you're going to use them for something like a puree, you need to cook them longer. If they're going into a salad, firmer is fine. When they're done to your liking, drain them.

Please note that you can change what you put in the bean water at your pleasure. The vegetables I listed are what I like. Some add bay leaves, some add epizote, and so on, and so forth. Try different things.

While those beans are cooking, prepare a mixture of a "crunchy vegetable." The Rancho Gordo folk suggested a green mango. I almost never see these, so I used cucumbers. I also used a spring onion. You will want to use different things, and you should. I also used a half cup of homemeade salsa verde, rather than the bunch of chopped cilantro they recommended. That's because the Guyman is not a fan of the flavor of a lot of cilantro. Anyway, make a vegetable "mix," almost a small salad, and stir this into the beans. I also added lots of lime juice: 3-4 limes. Some would say it's not enough. Again, your call.

We're not done yet. If you like, while the beans are cooking, prepare your rice. This is another item that frustrates people to no end: cooking rice properly. Well, this is how Annalena does it, for white and brown. I prefer using Texmati rice, because it's available, inexpensive, and good quality. For white Texmati, I use 1.5 times the volume of water. For brown, 2.25-2.5. The variation results from how I'm going to use the rice. Usually, I use the smaller amount because I want something firm. You dont' have to use water either: you can use a broth of whatever persuasion you like. For a cup of dry rice, I would say use a scant teaspoon of salt, and then double it if you make more. I find it easier to make more rice than less rice, so I never start with less than two cups of dry. It stores well, and it also freezes (bet you didn't know that).

Here's a little secret: rice tends to boil over, and Annalena learned that if you run the rim of your rice pot with some butter (you can put some in the pot too, if you like), the boil over doesn't happen very much. So she does this all the time. For white rice, I usually find 15 minutes is fine. For brown, 30-45 minutes. Again, you have to check. Look for the water to be gone, and little "holes" forming in the rice, from the gas escaping. If some of it burns at the bottom, save it for yourself.

Ok, you've got your rice, and you've got your beans. Let the rice cool. Now what do you do?

For Annalena, it was the secret ingredient: coconut oil. THis is a new ingredient to Annalena, and she'll be using it more often. Let's be honest: coconut oil is a saturated fat, so it ain't all that good for you. It's vegetable, but... oil is oil is fat is fat. Calorically, you ain't doing yourself any favors, but you aren't getting any cholesterol. Put it into the beans by the TEASPOON until you get a flavor you like (The aroma is wonderful by the way). Stir it all up and put it on the plate with some of the rice (we used brown), and know what? Not only have you got a good meal, but you've got a second meal. If you start with two cups of dry rice, and two cups of dried beans, you probably have enough for at least six hearty appetitites.

I suggest you try this with coconut oil, if you can find it. If you can't, use a really good quality olive oil, or a nut oil of some kind. I have a bottle of roasted pistachio oil on my counter than needs to be opened, and so it shall be.

If you consider rice and beans "peasant food," well, consider this the "dressed up" version. If you think of "peasant food" in a bad way, shame on you.

Now go and cook a pot of beans. Make your own mix, and let Annalena know how it turns out.