Turn Beans Into a Hearty Main Course

This dish is inspired by a bean ragout served at Susan’s restaurant near Three Oaks, Michigan. JeanMarie Brownson/TCA

Giant, larger-than-life beans make beautiful entree offerings. Turning those beans into a hearty main course, flavored with pork and colorful vegetables, brightens up dinner.

The Royal Corona white bean is super fat and buttery, measuring nearly two inches in length when cooked. Same for the giant white lima beans, Christmas lima beans, ayocote morado beans, ayocote negro beans, and scarlet runner beans. All of these giant beans, available by mail-order from Rancho Gordo (RanchoGordo.com), make great substitutes for meat or, at least, help reduce the cravings for lots of animal protein.

The only downside to these large beans is their cooking time: usually close to three hours. When time is crunched, canned butter beans will suffice. The canning process renders the beans a bit soft, so stir carefully to avoid breaking them up too much.

The recipe that follows is inspired by a bean ragout served at Susan’s restaurant near Three Oaks, Michigan, last year. Topped with crispy bits of pork confit, we’ve been dreaming of it ever since.

At home, cooked pork carnitas, sold in Mexican meat markets, or packaged in the refrigerator section of Trader Joe’s, stand in nicely for long-rendered pork confit (pork cooked in its own fat). Roast chicken thighs or thinly sliced, fully cooked sausages work, too. The idea is to use a modicum of meat per serving, so it should be flavorful.

The method of cooking dried beans with a bit of fat or lard is a trick I learned while cooking in Mexico. At home, save the drippings whenever you cook bacon, or the fat from roasting pork, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Adding just a couple of tablespoons while cooking a pound of dried beans gives them flavor as well as a silkier, more pleasant texture. Olive oil makes a good vegetarian substitute.

Onion likewise adds flavor to the long-simmering beans. Fresh epazote adds a subtle licorice note to the beans. Look for epazote in the produce section of large supermarkets or Mexican produce stores. A stalk from a bulb of fresh fennel makes a fine substitute.

Don’t fret over soaking beans. Sure, soaking shortens cooking time, but only by 30 minutes maximum in my experience. It’s not necessary to discard the soaking water either. You’re throwing away color and flavor—especially true when cooking black beans. So please don’t do it.

The husband says the following recipe is glorified pork and beans. The cook will take the compliment.

Anything But Basic Dried Beans

Cooking time varies according to the size of the dried beans; plan on 2 hours for small beans and 3 hours for large beans such as Royal Corona. Sample a bean or two to be sure it’s pleasingly tender before adding salt. Then simmer for a few minutes with the salt to allow it to season the beans.

Serves 8

• 1 pound (16 ounces) dried beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons bacon fat (or 2 slices bacon, finely chopped) or olive oil
• 1 rib fresh fennel or 2 small sprigs fresh epazote, optional
• Salt

Rinse dried beans well. Put into a large saucepan or small Dutch oven. Add 12 cups water, the chopped onion, bacon fat, and fennel.

Heat to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to very low. Partly cover the pan with the lid askew. Simmer, stirring often, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add more hot water as needed to keep beans covered by a depth of about 2 inches. When beans are tender (taste one), season with 1 teaspoon salt; simmer 20 minutes more.

Cool and refrigerate beans in their liquid up to one week.

White Bean Ragout With Pork

I love to use Rancho Gordo’s Royal Corona beans here. Three cans (15 to 16 ounces each) of butter beans can be substituted; save the canning liquid for Step 4.

Serves 4

• 2 medium-sized carrots, trimmed, peeled
• 1 medium-sized leek with 3 inches green top, ends trimmed, halved, well rinsed
• 1/2 cup diced fresh fennel bulb or 2 small ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) shredded cooked pork carnitas, roast pork or chicken thighs
• 3 to 4 cups drained cooked beans, plus about 1/2 cup of their liquid
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh epazote leaves or fennel fronts
• Fresh fennel fronds, optional

Slice carrots lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Put into a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover and microwave on high (100 percent power), stirring once, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.

Slice leek halves crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Have fennel or celery and garlic ready.

Heat oil in large skillet until hot. Add leeks and fennel. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and carrots. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in pork. Cook and stir until edges of pork start to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat beans and their liquid in a covered bowl in the microwave oven or a small saucepan until heated through. Stir hot beans into the pork mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro and epazote.

Serve beans in shallow bowls garnished with fresh fennel.

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