A World of Beans

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Beans are not one of those foods that you find people writing sonnets about. Aside from the well known children’s verse, “Beans, beans, the musical fruit”, only the story of Jack and the Beanstalk seem to give much credit to the legume. And yet, for all the general literary disregard, beans have one of the richest histories of cultivation as a crop and remain a staple food in many parts of the world today. A closer examination of this diverse food might just reveal that the bean deserves a promotion from supporting character to starring role at the dinner table.

The name bean is a vague descriptor that over time has come to encompass everything from freshly edible peas and favas to dried legumes such as pinto beans and lentils. The bean itself is simply the large seed of a plant. Evidence of beans used as a food dates back to the consumption of fava beans in ancient Egypt, while in the Americas it is known that dry beans have been used as a food for over six thousand years. Today dry beans are commercially produced worldwide from the United States to India to Kenya and Brazil.

One of the main reasons beans have stood the test of culinary time is because of their inherent nutritional value. Few foods can claim to be rich sources of protein, cholesterol reducing fiber, folate, and iron, among other nutrients, and low in calories all at the same time. The average cup of pinto beans (not refried) has 14 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber, and only 236 calories. The availability of dry beans and their high level of nutrition make them one of the least expensive and best forms of protein on the market.

In America we often relegate beans either to a side dish of lard packed refried pinto beans at a Mexican restaurant or to colorless, bland main courses in crunchy vegetarian restaurants. Dried beans, if prepared correctly do not necessarily need a pound of lard to make them taste good, nor do they need to be flavorless in order to make it as a healthy and interesting main course.

Cooking with dried beans the old fashioned way--soaking, rinsing, cooking--can be fulfilling albeit long process. For the busy person without hours available to prepare beans, the canned version works just as well. Just be sure to pick a high quality canned bean and rinse them to remove excess salt and liquid before proceeding to cook with them.

Although the many types of dry beans have distinct flavors all their own (think about the difference between chickpeas and black beans), they also all take very well to the addition of spices and seasoning. Indian cuisine is one of the best places to turn when looking for inspiration on dressing up a legume. Potent mixtures of coriander, chilies, mustard seeds, cumin, and tamarind among other spices give beans intense flavor to match their unique healthful benefits.

More often than being the centerpiece, beans are often given a supporting role on a plate alongside the star of the dinner, a large piece of meat. Giving beans the center stage does not mean you have to eliminate the meat entirely. Small amounts of meat go a long way with beans to kick up the flavor without adding a lot of cost, fat, or calories.

The benefits of a bit of meat are most obvious in a bowl of split pea soup with diced ham or New Year’s black-eyed peas enhanced with a ham hock. Even red beans and rice, the classic Southern dish, tastes just a little bit better with some chorizo or turkey sausage if you are trying to watch the fat.

Beans may not evoke the poetry of other more glamorous foods, but there's no doubt that beans will remain an essential part of our global diet no matter the ebbs and flows of popularity. Abundant, highly nutritious, and the potential for vast flavor combinations make beans one of the great staple foods of the world. What is too often regarded as the lowly bean is really more of a culinary superstar and perhaps it is time to give the bean it due.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pound turkey sausage
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup water or chicken stock
• 2 cans (14 ounce size) small red beans (can also use pintos)
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• hot sauce