Rancho Gordo grows some of our favorite heirloom beans. Their Corona beans have a meaty texture and a flavor closer to buttery than beany. Their thick skin can even crisp up in a hotpan. We love to cook these in a big cast-iron pot—sometimes over a wood fire when we’regrilling other foods. If you can’t find Coronas, go for gigantes, a similar heirloom bean. Eitherway, make a big batch. Serve some beans as a side dish or antipasto with a drizzle of good oliveoil and some baguette. You can blend up the remaining beans with some stock or olive oil for an incredible “butter” to use as a dip, spread, or creamy sauce (see the Option). The Coronabutter is what we serve with our King Oyster Scallops.
SLOW-COOKED CORONA BEANS with ROSEMARY and LOTS of GARLIC
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried Corona beans
- About 8 cups VegetableStock (page 284) orstore-bought low sodium
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
- 3 to 4 sprigs freshrosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 dried red chiles, such as cayenne
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Soak the beans overnight in water to cover.
2. Drain the beans and place in a large heavy potor Dutch oven. Add the remaining ingredients andbring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat so theliquid simmers, cover, and simmer gently until thebeans are tender, about 1 hour. Test by pressing onebean on a cutting board: It should crush easily butnot be mushy. (While the beans are cooking, checkthe liquid level now and then; you may need to add a bit more stock or water to keep the beans covered during the entire cooking time.)
3. Serve hot with some of the cooking liquid.
OPTION
CORONA BEAN BUTTER: After cooking the beans, remove the rosemary, bay leaves, and chiles. Transfer half ofthe beans and their liquid to a bowl or stand blender,add 1/3 cup olive oil, and blend until very smooth. Useimmediately or refrigerate for a few days, then spreadanywhere just like butter. Makes about 2 cups.
