Basic Beans and Summer Minestrone
As I sit typing this, directly in front of a fan with a glass of ice water at my side, it is hard to imagine that the temperature was ever below 90° and that when it was, I made soup. But stranger things have happened and besides: when vegetables are practically sighing under the weight of their own ripeness and there are more of them than you know what to do with, what else is there to do with them. I loved the idea of opening the freezer door three months hence and grabbing a relic from when the sky was bright and the air was fragrant with growth and living things: the scent of basil, the ripe red tomatoes, frozen in time.
But we ate the reserves within two weeks. Whoops. Guess it’s time to make another pot, just as soon as I can move freely around my apartment without breaking a sweat, I mean, glowing.
First, a word about beans: The dried ones and I are having a moment. So much cheaper than the canned varieties and with a more pleasant texture to boot, cooking up a pot of dried beans is not as much trouble as you think. When you are sitting down to an afternoon with the new Ruth Rendell, just set a pot of beans on to boil. By the time you’re ready for a snack, the beans will be tender. Unlike a pet flying squirrel, they don’t need much tending to.
Basic Beans
makes 5-6 cups beans
1 pound dried beans
water
if you have them: an onion (cut in half; don’t bother to peel), a bay leaf
Rinse and pick over beans, plucking out any debris or sad looking beans. Place in a large, heavy pot with onion and bay leaf. Cover beans with water by about two inches.
Over high heat, bring beans to a boil and let bubble away for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat, cover loosely, and simmer until beans are tender, 40 minutes to 2 hours depending on the bean, and adding additional water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pluck out onion and bay leaf. Decant into storage containers, cover with bean cooking liquid, and let cool. Freeze until ready to use.
Summer Minestrone
adapted from The Art of Simple Food
Serves 8
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
5 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups water
1 small leek, diced
1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 medium zucchini, cut into small dice
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 cups cooked white beans
1 cup bean cooking liquid (or water)
2 cups spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and salt; cook for 5 minutes longer. Add water, bring to a boil, and stir in leek and green beans. Cook for 5 minutes, then add zucchini and tomato; cook an additional 15 minutes. Taste for salt, adjusting if necessary. Add cooked beans along with 1 cup of their cooking liquid (or water) and spinach. Cook for another 5 minutes. If soup is too thick, add additional bean cooking liquid or water. Remove bay leaf and serve in bowls, each garnished with a garlic crouton (toasted country bread rubbed with garlic), fresh basil, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a grating of parmesan.
Christine S.: I know it! I feel like a wilted green myself right now! Here in PA, we are feeling the “dog days” ourselves, too! I thought we would eclipse this phase of summer this year, what with the cool temps we have had in the northeast the whole season so far….
However, the minestrone sounds wonderful and will definitely be a filler once school begins. I, too, prefer the dried beans for both the provencial feel and the pocketbook ease.
Thanks for posting this and find a swimming pool somewhere to take an evening dip!:)1 year ago
Adrienne: Aaaw, “sad looking beans.” I always feel bad about chucking them but then I find one that’s actually a rock and feel much better.1 year ago
Christine, I’m thisclose to setting a kiddie pool up in our living room!
Adrienne, So true! I’ve never actually found anything strange in a bag of beans, but I’m waiting for the day.
1 year ago
EB: I know they kind of defeat the ‘dried beans as a money saver’ issue but you really should try this with Rancho Gordo beans next time. It will take your soup to a whole other level of yum. SO the vacation was good?1 year ago
EB, I LOVE Rancho Gordo beans! And even if they are more spendy, they’re still way cheaper than grass-fed beef. They make the humble bean a sexy pantry staple!
Vacation was awesome but sadly, the effects do not seem to last more than a week.
1 year ago
Christine S.: Do it! Do you have a bit of a balcony or rooftop place to set one up? I went to a friend’s home for homemade sangria, olives, feta, and foccacia all the while dipping our feet in an ice cold baby pool in the tiny backyard - the puppy finding shade under our seats….it was a fabulous way to cool down a bit!:)1 year ago
Lisa (dinner party): I have never cooked with dried beans! The convenience of ready-to-eat canned beans always wins in my mind, but I know the texture is better when you soak them. I am an impatient cook but I should give them a try.
And yes, flying squirrels don’t need much in the way of care. But they will eat your books and sail around the house, from what I hear. Evidence: http://www.adinnerparty.net/2009/04/link-o-rama-and-geronimo-update.html1 year ago
Christine, Oh, that sounds positively delightful! Now you’ve got me in the mood for sangria. Is it happy hour yet?
Lisa, True: canned beans are so, so convenient. But having some in the freezer is as convenient as having some cans in the freezer. If you’re ever in a place where the price of beans really matters to your livelihood, remember this conversation. Until then, why not spend 99 cents on a can if it means you can make fried chickpeas in a flash!1 year ago
Christine S.: It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!:) Just remember to have lots of ice, soak some great fruit in it….what we found is a homemade salsa with loads of cilantro comes alive after a bite on a chip and sip of the wine! Any good spicy red will do - can add some cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon to any red, though. Grapes, apples, oranges, lemons/limes chilling in it for awhile - a great at home recipe!1 year ago
Sara Rose: I L-O-V-E dried bags of beans. I grew up eating beans at least twice a week in our household. I want beans to have a new foodie resurgence because they are so amazing to work with, so cheap, so versatile, and truly healthy. Go minestrone! Go beans!!!1 year ago
Christine, I went with a friend to a little Mexican restaurant last week — she had red sangria, I had white — and we munched on chips and fresh pico de gallo. Let’s just say I never thought a glass of sangria was so refreshing and summery in all my life.
Sara Rose, Hiya lady! I LOVE beans too. Foodie resurgence or no, beans are definitely big at Chez POP.1 year ago
Nikki: Wow, this looks delicious. But I agree that I’d have to do some real talking to myself to turn on the stove for that long.
Maybe in the morning when it’s cooler?
Thanks for the recipe.1 year ago
Sara Rose: Yeah, here at Chez Chatterbox, beans are on the table 2-3 times a week. It’s the magical fruit! Tee hee!1 year ago
Avril: Hey! We eat a lot of beans and pulses our side of the world (India)
What we do with dried beans is soak rinse and soak them overnight (about 8 hours). Put them into a pressure cooker with a little salt, cover lid, turn the heat to medium-high, wait for about 3 whistles, turn off the heat, wait till the pressure cooker releases the steam by itself - else release the pressure by holding a spoon under the whistle, and only then open the lid. Voila….cooked beans! The whole cooking process takes 20 mins. Hope this helps 
1 year ago
Gina: I just made a double batch of this recipe and it is soooo good! I’m such an undomestic goddess that I’m always surprised when something I cook turns out well, and this one *really* did. I didn’t use the leek, and the green beans around here were looking kinda yucky so I didn’t include any of them either. I also substituted a can of diced tomatoes for fresh because I had it, and ground thyme instead of springs. I think that was all of my modifications.
My husband loves minestrone which is why I decided to try it. He was pleasantly surprised that I pulled it off.51 weeks ago