Red Kidney Beans

I have mentioned in several other places grain legumes are a personal favourite. I can’t think of a variety of it I won’t eat: Chickpeas, black-eye, lentils, kidney beans, peanuts, etc. etc. While I was living in Panama, it was something I could find easily in any restaurant, as it was a staple. Sometimes it might be cooked together (arroz con guandu – rice with pigeon pea) or cooked separately and served together (red kidney beans and rice). When I moved to Vancouver, thanks to the multi-cultural society, I could still find some of them in some restaurants, though not to the same extent as in Panama. So, in the end, I had to go back to basics and, well, cook them myself! Here is my interpretation of red kidney beans, which is usually served with rice but I like to eat them standalone…

First, the ingredients:

• 450g/1 pound of red kidney beans
• Stewing beef or stewing pork or, in my case, roasted pork bones
• A medium onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, or as much as you want! – Diced
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
• Oil

One ingredient that we used a lot in Panama but I have not been able to find in Canada is culantro. Before anybody says “don’t you mean cilantro?”, the answer will be no. Culantro, aka, recado, aka, saw-leaf herb, is a different herb that provides a totally different layer of flavour to the dish. So, if you are able to find some, use a big handful. Oh, and let me know where I can find some!

Before I continue, here is a small debate, should you pre-soak the beans or not? I would rather not answer this – In a way, it is up to the cook. The one exception is lentils: due to its size and shape, I have found it works better without soaking. As for myself (and this recipe), I did not soak them. I will leave up to the cook to decide which one works better for him/her.

As for preparation, in a dutch oven (and this is something you should NOT try to modify) at medium heat, pour 2 tablespoon of oil. Don’t use any fancy oil here, OK? I personally like peanut oil so that’s what I used. If using stewing beef or pork, you can brown then here first and put then aside. Sautee the onion, celery and bell peppers with a small dash of salt for 5 or so minutes.

After 5 or so minutes, stir in the diced garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. At this point it should be quite aromatic. Add the beans and sitr.

Add the bay leaf, thyme, roasted pork bones and culantro – if using it. Then add 2 litre of water and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover.

Cook for 2 hours at a simmer (a little less if the beans were pre-soaked), stirring every 15 or so minutes. If it gets too thick, add some cold water and stir it in, making sure it has been absorbed before adding more, if necessary.

After the two hours, if there is too much liquid, you can mash it lightly, stir and wait for 10 minutes. That should thicken the liquid. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately as a side or over steamed rice. Or, in my case, a bowl of it standalone!

Drool! ^_^

Tagged under: Home Cooking