| 1 | Sort, rinse and soak beans by preferred method (described below). |
| 2 | To maintain color integrity, soak white and colored beans separately. |
| 3 | Saute garlic and onion in oil. |
| 4 | Add drained beans, broth and oregano. |
| 5 | Simmer, covered until beans are tender. |
| 6 | Add tomatoes, carrots and celery. |
| 7 | Simmer for 15 minutes longer. |
| 8 | Stir in spinach and pasta; adjust seasoning with salt. |
| 9 | Simmer for 5 minutes or only until thoroughly heated. |
| 10 | makes 8 servings; about 2 quarts. |
| 11 | a bag of bean tricks: |
| 12 | a bag of bean tricks to help you buy, soak, cook & store dry beans. |
| 13 | canned beans do not require additional cooking since they have been thoroughly cooked in the canning process, but there are several ways of preparing dry beans for cooking. |
| 14 | All start with a thorough inspection for damaged beans and foreign material, then washing in cold water. |
| 15 | The next step, which is highly recommended, is soaking the beans. |
| 16 | This not only helps make the beans cook faster, it also improves flavor, texture, appearance and digestibility. |
| 17 | For maximum improvement of these factors, it is recommended that the soak water be discarded and the beans rinsed and cooked in fresh water. |
| 18 | soaking tips: hot-soak (preferred) and quick-soak method. |
| 19 | for every pound of dry beans, any variety, add 10 cups of hot water. |
| 20 | Remember beans will rehydrated to at least twice theri dry size, so be sure to start with a large enough pot. |
| 21 | (note: up to 2 teaspoons of salt per pound of beans *may* be added to help the beans absorb water more evenly). |
| 22 | Heat to boiling, let boil for 2 to 3 minutes. |
| 23 | Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least 1 hour (quick-soak method), but *preferably* four hours or more. |
| 24 | The longer soaking time is recommended to allow a greater amount of the gas-causing properties to dissolve in the water, thus helping the beans to be more easily digested and lessening the aftereffects. |
| 25 | Whether you soak the beans for an hour or several hours, remember to discard the soak water. |
| 26 | cooking tips: (for each pound of dry beans) |
| 27 | standard method: drain and rinse soaked beans; put into a good- sized kettle. |
| 28 | Add 6 cup of hot water, 1 to 2 tablespoons shortening and 2 teaspoons salt. |
| 29 | Boil gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached. |
| 30 | savory method: use standard method (above), but use 2 teaspoons onion salt and ?teaspoon garlic salt instead of plain salt. |
| 31 | Add 1 tablespoon chicken stock base or 3 to 4 bouillon cubes and ?teaspoon white pepper. |
| 32 | * simmer beans slowly. |
| 33 | Cooking too fast can break skins. |
| 34 | * acid slows down cooking. |
| 35 | Add tomatoes, vinegar, etc. |
| 36 | Last. |
| 37 | * add 1/8 to ?teaspoon baking soda (no more) per pound of beans whe cooking in hard water to shorten cooking time. |
| 38 | * at high altitudes, beans take longer to cook. |
| 39 | A pressure cooker helps, but follow manufacturer"s directions. |
| 40 | [personal note: tom says ?hour in the pressure cooker at 15 lbs pressure is equivalent to cooking them overnight. |
| 41 | Don"t put too many beans in the pressure cooker, as they expand: you don"t want to plug up the vent hole). |
| 42 | * refried beans are made from freshly cooked pinto, pink, red or kidney beans, mashed and cooked in a skillet with bacon drippings, lard, oil, butter or margarine. |
| 43 | [ california dry bean advisory board ] |
