Recipe: How to Cook Basic Beans with Soup-Ready Bean Broth

BASIC BEANS

"This recipe yields a substantial amount of cooked beans and soup-ready broth, setting you up to make an assortment of tasty meals. I like to use some of the beans right away, stash another recipe's worth (plus plenty of liquid to cover) in the fridge to make something else later in the week, and bank the rest of the beans and liquid in the freezer. See below for the estimated cooking times for the types of beans used in this book."

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ghee, or avocado oil 1 onion, diced small
1 to 2 celery stalks, diced small 2 to 3 carrots, diced small
1 pound (about 2 cups) dried black beans, cannellini beans, or garbanzo beans
1 bay leaf
1 or more garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
Sprigs of fresh herbs, or pinches of dried herbs, such as thyme, sage, or rosemary (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed

Set a soup pot or other large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot over medium- low heat; add the butter, stir in the chopped vegetables, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the beans in a strainer or colander large enough that you can spread them out, so that while you're rinsing them under cold running water you can paw through and pick out any teeny rocks or funky-looking beans.

Dump the clean beans into the pot along with the bay leaf, garlic, and herbs, and add lukewarm water to a depth of several inches above the Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to boil for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to a simmer.

Continue cooking the beans at a gentle but steady simmer, occasion- ally skimming off and discarding any foam that forms on the sur- face, for 30 to 40 minutes, just until the beans begin to go from hard to a bit tender (for garbanzos and other beans on the larger and/or older side, this can take an hour or so). Add the

Continue cooking until the beans are tender but not soft; see below for estimated cooking times for the beans used in the recipes in this Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt if needed.

COOKING TIMES:
The estimated cooking times listed below should work for varieties of beans that are similar sizes and shapes. But always remember that times can range very widely, so start checking sooner than you think you need to and use a timer throughout the whole process so you don't space out and end up with mushy beans instead of gorgeously tender ones.

Black beans: 45 to 60 minutes

Cannellini beans: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): 1 1/4 to 2 hours

BANK:

FRIDGE:
Store the beans in an airtight container (along with enough cooking liquid to cover or they'll dry out), for up to a week; additional broth can also be kept in jars in the fridge for up to five days, or frozen.

FREEZER:
Separate the beans from the cooking liquid (don't pour it down the drain!); store in airtight 1- or 2-cup containers or freezer bags (press all air out before sealing) and freeze for up to three months. Fish out and discard the bay leaf, garlic cloves, and herb stems, transfer the broth to tempered glass containers, and freeze for up to three months.

Makes about 5 cups cooked beans
Source: Green Enough: Eat Better, Live Cleaner, Be Happier (All Without Driving Your Family Crazy!) by Leah Segedie (Rodale; March 20, 2018)