heirloom beans Archives - Taste With The Eyes

Herby Turkey & Corona Bean Soup

It’s that time of year again. Time for the Annual Leftover Turkey Soup. This year with beans! Huge, enormous, gigantic beans! And lots of fresh herbs. Rosemary, sage, thyme, and bay perfume a broth that is rich and flavorful. The beans are super-plump, tender and creamy. Nutty, cheese notes brought by a sprinkling of Parmesan and piquant spice notes by red chile flakes complement the shredded roast turkey. This year’s leftover soup is a huge delectable winner!

Herby Turkey & Corona Bean Soup

Herby Turkey & Corona Bean Soup Recipe

Continue reading “Herby Turkey & Corona Bean Soup”

Heirloom Bean and Tomato Crostone

Have you been baking a lot of bread during this pandemic time? More than you and your family can possibly eat? Maybe you have some slices in the freezer? Here is a delightful meatless meal to use the remainder of the bread that may be becoming a little hard and stale.

The flavorful bean broth rehydrates the toast…and for such a simple dish, this crostone is really extraordinary. Butter AND olive oil add rich mouthfeel while colorful cherry tomatoes add sweetness. Fresh thyme adds herbaceous earthiness while yellow eye beans bring a deep creaminess. It’s a peasant-style vegetarian dish drenched in flavor and texture, and is extremely satisfying. And extremely economical.

Heirloom Bean and Tomato Crostone

Heirloom Bean and Tomato Crostone Recipe

Continue reading “Heirloom Bean and Tomato Crostone”

Bison & Heirloom Bean Chili with Poached Egg

Bison & Heirloom Bean Chili with Poached Egg

What food did Elizabeth Taylor have shipped to her while filming Cleopatra on the set in Rome?

Ten quarts of chili. Yes, chili from Chasen’s Restaurant in West Hollywood! When she could pretty much order up anything she fancied, she chose the humble bowl of chili. That spicy stew with a history that goes back to the American frontier days has endless variations. Based on geography, legend, personal taste, and availability of ingredients recipes for chili vary widely but the passion for this beloved dish does not.

Bison & Heirloom Bean Chili Recipe

Continue reading “Bison & Heirloom Bean Chili with Poached Egg”

Black Calypsos and Epazote

Heirloom Beans: The Black Calypso

Chiffonade of Epazote

Olive Oil, Garlic, Mexican Lime Juice, Kosher Salt

The epazote used in the previous post, Beef Short Ribs with Poblanos, seemed to spark some curiosity. This Mexican herb with usage that dates back to the Aztecs rocks! I keep putting it up to my nose to inhale the wonderful strange aroma. In this bean dish, I cut it into a chiffonade, just like I would with basil.

The best way to keep epazote fresh is in a mug with water in the refrigerator, and trim the stems first. The bunch pictured here was all wilted in the market, but perked up overnight with this storage method.

Black Calypso Heirloom Beans are also known as orcas or yin yang beans. Some say they taste like a baked potato. With that in mind, the next time I make them, I’m going to finish with butter, sour cream and chives. If you are a fan of heirloom beans, you might like this Yellow Eye Bean recipe too.

Perhaps you’ve participated in Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook’s Legume Love Affair event? February marks the Eighth hosting. I am sending my Black Calypsos over to Susan along with hearty congratulations for her on-going super successful event. Oh, plus this month there is a special bonus, Cynthia Nelson’s terrific new cookbook My Caribbean Cooking Tastes Like Home will be awarded as a prize. Bean aficionados, come join us in all the fun!

When the Black Calypsos are cooked they turn to shades of brown, but retain their markings. I soaked the beans for several hours, rinsed, then cooked them in water with a bay leaf. I find it important to taste several beans to determine if the batch is cooked properly. Once cooked, the beans were drained of any excess moisture. Meanwhile I warmed up a good amount of olive oil and added plenty of minced garlic. The garlic cooked for about a minute. The beans were added back to the pot and tossed gently. The dish is finished with a squeeze of Mexican lime juice, a sprinkling of Kosher salt, and a chiffonade of epazote.

Carnitas on Corn Tortillas

Black Calypsos with Epazote

Salsa Verde

This simple bean dish is interesting enough to stand on its own. The ingredients would work great with any kind of bean. And here, Black Calypsos with epazote added another dimension to a pork taco.

OK…I’ve been humming a tune all day. I don’t think I’ve heard it in years, decades maybe. All it took were some beans to resurrect it from my memory banks. Written by John Denver in 1975, Calypso is a tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his famous marine conservation research vessel Calypso.

To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean
To ride on the crest of the wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and the living
In search of the answers to questions unknown
To be part of the movement and part of the growing
Part of beginning to understand

CHORUS
Aye Calypso
The places you’ve been to
The things that you’ve shown us
The stories you tell
Aye Calypso
I sing to your spirit
The men who have served you
So long and so well

Like the dolphin who guides you
You bring us beside you
To light up the darkness and show us the way
For though we are strangers in your silent world
To live on the land we must learn from the sea
To be true as the tide
And free as a wind-swell
Joyful and loving in letting it be

Do you remember Aye Calypso?

Yellow Eye Heirloom Beans

Yellow Eye Beans With Garlicky Salsa Verde

Cotija Cheese

In a pot, these Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans were covered with about 2 inches of water and soaked for 4 hours, a bay leaf was added, brought to a boil, then simmered for around 2 hours until the dense and creamy beans were tender. Salt to taste.

To a good amount of olive oil add chopped garlic. Heat until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, add salsa verde (hot or mild depending on your taste). Then add the cooked Yellow Eye Heirloom Beans and heat through. This recipe of beans with olive oil, garlic and salsa verde was inspired by Nancy Silverton in her cookbook, A Twist of the Wrist. Served here with an extra dollop of salsa verde and grated cotija atop the beans. Cotija cheese is a hard cow’s milk cheese named after the town of Cotija, Mexico where it originated. This cheese is delicious grated over warm beans.

I am sending this side dish of Yellow Eye Beans with Garlicky Salsa Verde over to my blogger friend Simona of Briciole, as she is hosting Susan The Well-Seasoned Cook’s, Legume Love Affair Event for November. Are you a bean aficionado? Make sure to check out Legume Love!

On my drive home from work yesterday, I just had to stop and take some photos as the sun was setting. Most of the smoke and ash from the fires has blown away. On Saturday, there was a fire right here on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Thankfully this one was extinguished quickly with no major damage.

My heart goes out to all Southern Californians who lost their homes in the recent wildfires.