Jack might’ve been fooled, when he was coerced into trading the family cow for a handful of magic beans but that doesn’t mean that beans aren’t magical. When we slowed down and took the time to learn how to prepare beans correctly, we’ve been rewarded by the magic and beauty of beans. They can be troublesome to digest if they’re not prepared correctly, especially if your G.I. tract isn’t in top notch condition. I’m talking dried beans here, not canned beans. Canned beans aren’t magical; convenient perhaps but not magical and there’s definitely magic in transforming hard, little dried beans into soft, creamy, savory morsels, that titillate your tastebuds.
There are a lot of beautiful, exciting beans out there in the Great Wide World, worth getting to know a little better. Two of our favorites are Anasazi and Turtle beans. Anasazi beans are a Colorado native, grown in the Four Corners region on the Colorado Plateau, 2000 years ago. The local Anasazi tribe grew the freckled beans in the canyon bottoms, below their incredible cliff dwellings. At least they did until they had to flee the last major drought and move on down to the Rio Grande.
Black Beans are a staple throughout the Americas, and the Caribbean. They’re a North American native too, originating in Mexico, where they were first cultivated over 7000 years ago. We thought; why not marry these two North American natives, to create a Spicy Southwestern Stew. Bean magic on a cold and windy spring afternoon.
A major cold front blew onto the High Plains the other day. Snow in the middle of May was the forecast. We’ve already had a few 90 degree days and the garden’s been planted, including the cucumbers, which are the last to go in. Snow? Are you kidding me? It did snow too but it wasn’t much and the temperature didn’t stay cold for long enough to do any damage to the new plants so we’re pretty happy. It was cold enough though for a nice bowl of chili, so we embraced that mission.
Chili’s art. There are numerous festivals all over the Southwestern United States, dedicated to the fine art of creating that special bowl of Chili. Heck there are entire books dedicated to Chili art; I know, I have a couple. Some folks reckon it’s all about the meat and others believe it’s not chili unless there are some beans. I’m not going to argue with either, I like it both ways. They have something in common, CHILES. Chile’s my favorite spice. I’ve searched the world over for that perfect blend of earthy, smoky goodness that chiles provide. Everything’s better with a little Chile spice, especially Chili.
The valley of the Rio Grande produces some of the best Chiles in the world and I have a hard time using anything else. Hatch, New Mexico Chiles are my favorite. The Rio Grande is near and dear to my heart as well. I have had many adventures along it’s 1900 mile length. The headwaters are just above the family ranch in south-central Colorado and the mouth is just south of where we spent half our lives in South Texas and there have been plenty of adventures in between. But that’s a story for another day, let’s get back to the Chile-Bean Stew.
I filled the Insta-Pot to the brim with beans, figuring whatever we didn’t use in the stew we could save for Taco Tuesday. While I worked on the beans, Vickie worked on the meat. There was a good sized London Broil in the freezer that worked perfect for our Southwestern Stew. She sliced it pretty small and dredged it in some flour before sautéing it with the Mirepoix in the Le Crueset Dutchy; The Stew Master. French Chili, Hmm.
Once she had the bottom of the Dutchy covered in caramelly goodness, she added about 13 cups of water and set it all to simmering, low and slow for a few hours. While that was going on, I processed about 8 Roma tomatoes. You could probably make an acceptable stew without some tomatoes in it but I can’t, they just balance everything, so I’m going to keep putting them in. You can do what you want, but trust me, tomatoes make it better.
Since I’m on the subject of making it better, it’s probably the perfect opportunity to talk about breadsticks and Malbec. I reckon a lot of folks drink beer with their Chili and I do too, but exploring the possibilities of food pairings is so much fun. And since we already married Anasazi and Turtle Beans together, why not Chili and wine. We picked up a case of this Malbec the other day and it’s spicy warmness is the perfect complement to Southwestern Bean Stew.
The Sourdough culture was needing a little love too and since I had a multi-day fermentation going on with whole wheat I decided to roll out a few bread sticks. Cultures from the Gallic Empire of Northern Europe to the South American Aztec Empire have dipped bread and tortillas into their stew. I’m not sure when we first came up with the idea of breadsticks with chili but they are so much better than Fritos or crackers and more fun too.
When I was I kid, we used to sing; “Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot!” But as I’ve matured, the true potential of beans has become clear. Beans are among the most versatile foods in all the Great Wide World, and many are grown right here, in the United States. They are nutrient dense and one of the most economical foods there is, with the potential to improve diet and provide long-term health benefits.
Go Love Some Legumes!