What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen - Cool Beans

I love a parade. As a youngling, I played the flute in two marching bands. My summer was filled with trips around southern California to participate in parades celebrating everything from strawberries and dates to the Fourth of July and Labor Day. A week or so ago, I got a call from my friend Erik asking if I knew anyone with a truck who would drive in the parade for our Nevada State Treasurer. I happily volunteered my Bronco Sport, my husband as the driver, and myself to walk the route. 

Treasurer Zach Conine has attended the last six pancake breakfasts and Labor Day parades here in town, and I am always up to join him to talk to folks about unclaimed property. Every business in Nevada must pass any unclaimed property (money paid to the company for goods or services that are not collected) to the state Treasurer’s office. The treasury holds these funds in trust until the property owner requests them back. One of Zach’s favorite responsibilities is to cut checks to Nevadans who have money in this trust. To date, the treasury has returned over $690 million. Check for your unclaimed property at www.nvup.gov.

As we waited for the 10 a.m. parade launch, Erik and I occupied ourselves with talk of beans. You may remember that Erik is in culinary school and, like me, belongs to the Rancho Gordo Bean Club. Our latest shipment arrived last week. My post-parade plans involved cooking up a batch of Ayocote Negro black beans for Orange-Scented Cuban Black Beans. The recipe comes from the Cool Beans cookbook (available at Churchill County Library) and was all the rage in the RG Bean Club Members' Facebook group a few years ago.

Rancho Gordo describes Ayocote Negro as a large, thick-skinned bean that starts out starchy but gets creamy with continued cooking. They are firm and have a darker, inky bean broth than other runner beans enjoy. Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, the Ayocote family was one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas. They are grown all over central and northern Mexico. If you plant them, you can enjoy the flowers, eat the pods as a broad bean, or shell them fresh for shelling beans.

Cuban-Style Orange-Scented Black Beans

Adapted from Joe Yonan

Ingredients

• 1 lb Dried black beans
• 1 Orange, cut in half
• 2 Onions, one cut in half and one chopped
• 8 Whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 Green bell pepper, quartered
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 t Kosher salt
• 2 t Ground cumin
• 8 c Broth (chicken or vegetable) or water
• ¼ c Olive oil
• 3 Bell peppers, finely chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Jalapeno, stemmed and chopped
• ½ t Kosher salt plus more to taste
• ¼ t Black pepper
• 2 T Tomato paste
• 1 T Orange zest
• ¼ c Orange juice
• 1 T Apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine beans, orange, halved onion, garlic cloves, quartered bell pepper, bay leaf, 2 t kosher salt, 1 t cumin, and the broth in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans are soft and creamy.
2. Pour ¼ c olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add chopped onion, peppers, garlic, and jalapeno. Sauté until tender (8-10 minutes). Stir in 1 t cumin, tomato paste, ½ t kosher salt, and ¼ t black pepper. Cook until fragrant (30 sec). Stir in zest, juice, and vinegar, and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
3. Remove and discard the orange, onion, bell pepper, and bay leaf. Add the beans and 2 cups of cooking liquid to the skillet. Season to taste.
4. Serve with rice and top with pickled onions, cilantro, and hot sauce.