I am passionate about French beans: I grow 100+ plants every year, and I still have a dozen jars of dried beans in my cupboard from the year before.

Beans are so good for you, reducing cholesterol, filling you up, low in calories, full of fibre & protein. I chuck a handful into most dishes (meat & veggie) to pad it out.
By growing your own you are reducing food miles, saving on packaging & you can grow varieties that you just can't buy in the shops.

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The Toxin
All kidney beans (not just the red ones: all dried beans) contain a natural toxin (called lectin) that can cause stomach aches and vomiting.

You must follow these three steps to destroy the toxin:
1. soak the dried beans overnight (or a one hour quick soak in boiled water)
2. drain and rinse the beans then cover them with fresh water
3. boil them vigorously for at least 10 mins
4. Then simmer for 45-60 mins to make them tender.
5. Do a batch and freeze them so they're ready to use next time.

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I thought I'd start a new thread of my favourite recipes to inspire others to grow their own dried beans.

I give away a lot of seed every year, so keep your eye on the Seed Swap if you're after some different varieties, or just PM me.

This is really worth a read, lots of bean explanations on here: Common bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and good photos of different beans on here: http://www.foodsubs.com/Beans.html

Tractor Boy's Borlotti Bean and Tomato Soup

2-3 Handfuls of dried Borlotti Beans soaked overnight, boiled 10 mins then simmered for 45-60 mins
6-8 Tomatoes, skinned
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
A tin of peeled Tomatoes
Basil
Vegetable Stock.


Place the tomatoes Garlic and the basil in a roasting tin roast @ 190C cover with olive oil until soft but mainly still whole.
Once the beans are tender drain add the tomatoes including the tinned ones and the vegetable stock to make it more soup-like bring up to heat pop a couple of bake your own rolls in the oven add large amounts of butter to the rolls and enjoy.

This will warm the cocckles of your heart.

Borlotti Bean Stew

serves 6

200g lardons (optional)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 celery stalk, sliced
2 tbsp oil
2kg fresh borlotti beans (boil for 10 mins to kill the toxin)
3 tomatoes, chopped (or a tin)
1 tbsp tomato puree
5 sprigs fresh sage (optional)
250 ml water
250 ml white wine

1) Fry lardons in oil. Add onion, garlic & celery. Saute 5 mins
2) Add everything else, simmer for about 30 mins.

Wow - I saw the Tractor Boy's recipe this morning and a few mins later the internet was turned off and so had to memorise it.

I made a few amends:
Boiled a few handfulls of beans [they had been frozen] for 20 mins.
Roasted tomatoes for a hour.
Fried an onion in light oil, and added a few sticks of celery, with some garlic.
Added passata, and the roasted toms, and the beans. Added a pint of stock and simmered for half an hour [Electricity was on and off all day so timings could be completely out].
Added a few handfulls of brown pasta, and it was ready 10 mins later. A sprinkle of parmesan just topped it off.

Had it with a brown roll, and had enough for me, the OH and our electrician. Blooming lovely - thanks for the idea Two_Sheds.

Thanks for starting this thread. I have been buying some pulses/beans etc the last few weeks with the view to using them soon and was about to research how to cook them. Bring it on all helps!

Hi
Last Sunday had forgotten to bring back any veg from the allotment and was def not going to buy any so scratched around and found the following

2 carrots in the fridge
onion
pumpkin (lurking in the loo, nice and cool in there)
potatoes
runner beans in the freezer
tomato puree ditto
lentil water from freezer
dried mushrooms
Chillis and garlic

and a big helping of my dried beans.

I fried the onion with a chilli and the garlic, softened the rest of the vegetables and cooked till softened. I then added the puree and the lentil water and half a jar of pesto left over from day before. Cooked for around half an hour, added the cooked beans and cooked for another half hour.
Seasoned with salt and pepper, it was delish and I thought the pesto was the magic ingredient, will def put that in again.
Just the thing for a very cold day.

You can also cook up a veg and bean mixture and make a savoury crumble or cobbler or top with slices of french bread, brushed with a herby oil and sprinkled with parmesan or make a veggy shepherds pie with the potato topping.

Still got loads left so will keep on experimenting.
Sue

Beef & Black Bean Chilli

serves 4

150g dried black turtle beans (or any other dried kidney-type bean), soaked etc
500g chuck/braising steak, cut into chunks and trimmed of fat
oil
2 large onions , halved and sliced
4 garlic cloves , crushed
1 green pepper , cut into chunks
3-4 large red chillies , chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds , toasted and ground
2 x 400g tins tomato
beef stock fresh, cube or concentrate, made up to 250ml

1) Heat a large casserole and fry the beef in batches with a little oil until browned all over.
2) Scoop out then add the onions and cook on a fairly high heat until soft, golden and almost caramelised.
3) Add the garlic, pepper, chilli and cumin and cook for 2 minutes. Tip the beef back in with the tomatoes, stock, beans and cinnamon. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for about 2 - 2.5 hours until the beef and beans are both very tender.
4) Serve in bowls with a dollop of soured cream and some soft flour tortillas.

Mexican rice and bean casserole

SERVES 6

1 tsp vegetable oil
125ml/4fl oz water
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
110g/4oz mushrooms, sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
125g/5oz long-grain rice
200g dried red kidney beans (prepared properly). Canadian Wonder is a good one to grow.
1 can tomatoes
1 tbsp chilli powder
2 tsp cumin
a pinch cayenne pepper
110g/4oz grated cheese


1. In large saucepan, heat oil with water over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms and green peppers; simmer, stirring often, until onion is tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add rice, beans, tomatoes, chilli powder, cumin and cayenne; cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
3. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 18OC/Gas 4 oven for 15 minutes or microwave at high power until cheese melts.

Pork & Beans

serves 4

250 g dried white haricot beans, prepped (Blue Lake is good)
1 tbsp oil
625g pork chump chops, trimmed of fat
1 onion, chopped
250 ml beer/ale/cider
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dark soft brown sugar
3 allspice berries (optional)
2 tbsp mild American or French mustard
2 smoked lean back bacon rashers, rinded and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp cider vinegar, or to taste


1) heat the oil in a deep flameproof casserole, add the pork chops and onion, and fry until the chops are browned on both sides.
2) Pour in the beer and tomatoes with their juice, then add the Worcestershire sauce, sugar and allspice. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 1 hour or until the meat is very tender.

3) add beans to the pork chops.
4) Add the mustard, bacon and vinegar and stir well to mix. Cook, covered, over a low heat for a further hour or until the beans and the pork are meltingly tender.
5) Before serving, taste for seasoning and add a dash or two more Worcestershire sauce or vinegar if liked.

Lotty Bean Goulash

serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion , finely chopped
1 tbsp smoked paprika
400g can chopped tomatoes with garlic
100g mixed dried beans, prepped

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the onion for 5 mins until beginning to soften.
2) Add the paprika and cook for a further min, then stir in the tomatoes and 1⁄2 a can of water. Simmer gently for 10 mins until thickened and glossy.

3) Tip in the mixed beans for a further 2 mins to just heat through.
4) Spoon into warm bowls and serve with soured cream and toasted ciabatta slices, drizzled with olive oil.

just been reading the bean recipes and wondered how you dry the beans i am going to try berlotty beans this year can i just freeze them?

Two_Sheds, could I ask for advice on best beans for drying please. I assume all the ones you sent me are suitable?

I have never liked green beans or indeed anything in the way of kidney beans etc but I love growing them and the menfolk enjoy them. With the current economic situation, we are going to be eating more home-grown stuff (I just hope I have a better growing year) so I might be trying some of these recipes.

Yes, all those beans I sent you are good for drying. In fact, all French beans are better dried than fresh, in my opinion

Originally Posted by clayplot

just been reading the bean recipes and wondered how you dry the beans i am going to try berlotty beans this year can i just freeze them?

Borlotti?
Yes, you can freeze them, but they still need that 10 min rapid boil to get rid of the toxin before you eat them.

To dry them ... simply leave them on the plant until dry & crispy (although I was still shelling beans a week ago, after they'd been out in the rain, gales & frost for 8 months)

Originally Posted by Two_Sheds

To dry them ... simply leave them on the plant until dry & crispy.

LOL - that means I have to grow them under cover then Two_Sheds - nothing has been dry here for over a year!!