Ingredient: Tepary Beans with Recipe for Tepary Bean and Vegetable Stew

The snow in our front yard is nearly gone, the ice in the pond has melted, and spring is quickening. After our difficult winter, I’m looking forward to seasonal change even more eagerly than usual.

Speaking of winter, the overwhelming support from the blogging community during my father’s long illness and ultimate death was much appreciated. It’s not easy to lose a parent, but the kindness and concern shown by so many helped. Thank you all so much.

Because I spent so much of the winter in Washington near my parents, I was able to see my sister regularly, to my great joy. Though we’re two years apart and have the closeness that comes from childhood bedroom-sharing, as adults we’ve always lived far away from each other. It was indescribably soul-satisfying to have her (and her husband and dogs) be part of daily life the last few months.

Shopping for food and cooking dinner with my sister brought new life to what too often are routine activities. Despite our years apart, we’ve developed similar cooking styles and work together smoothly and easily in the kitchen.

One of the projects we undertook was finding and cooking tepary beans for My Legume Love Affair Ninth Helping. Despite searching in numerous Seattle area stores, we were unable to find tepary beans and resorted to ordering them online. When they arrived, we made Tepary Bean and Vegetable Stew and loved it. I’ll definitely be cooking with tepary beans again.

Tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius) are a bush bean originating in the desert areas of Mexico and the American Southwest. They grow best in extreme heat and under very dry conditions. Tepary beans’ taproot is twice as long as common beans’ (Phaseolus vulgaris), which allows teparies to efficiently take advantage of even small amounts of soil moisture.

Nutritionally, tiny tepary beans (1/4” long, the size of large lentils) are higher in protein, iron, calcium, and fiber than most beans. Their nutritional benefits, sweet, nutty flavor, and relatively quick cooking time make teparies well worth searching out.

Jay Bost, in the June 2006 Seeds of Change newsletter, wrote a fascinating article about tepary beans. His discussion of the growing conditions under which teparies thrive makes me interested in trying them in Greece, which has the necessary hot dry summers:

“Due to its native habitat in the Sonoran Desert, domesticated tepary beans … are considered by many to be the most drought-tolerant annual legume in the world. They are capable of producing a harvest of beans with a single rain in the harshest conditions; when irrigated, they produce higher yields only up to a certain point, after which excess moisture becomes a detriment and leads to overproduction of foliage and low bean production. In fact, it appears that moisture stress is necessary to trigger fruiting. Part of the tepary bean's secret to success in dry areas is to grow quickly when water is available. While pinto beans take 90 to 120 days to maturity, teparies take only 75 to 85. As water shortages become a reality in many parts of the U.S. and around the world, teparies will undoubtedly play an important role in dryland agriculture. In fact, tepary cultivation is now taking place in dry areas of Africa and is being revived in southern Arizona.”

Bost details teparies’ nutritional benefits:

“Part of the tepary bean's appeal, in addition to its drought tolerance, is its superior nutritional content. It has a higher protein content (23–30%) than common beans such as pinto, kidney, and navy, as well as higher levels of oil, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium. While higher in all of these desired nutrients, tepary beans are lower in polyunsaturated fat and in the anti-enzymatic compounds which make common beans hard to digest (Hamama and Bhardwaj 2002). … Tepary beans are proving to be an ideal food for people prone to diabetes or suffering from diabetes owing to the beans' high fiber level, which make them a "slow-release food"; that is, tepary beans' sugars are released slowly and steadily, rather than in a spike as in many high carbohydrate, low fiber foods common in our diets.”

The Ark of Taste is a list of endangered food plants and animals that the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity seeks to protect and defend. Tepary Beans are now on the Ark of Taste list for the United States.

I can’t wait to start playing around in the kitchen with tepary beans, and hope to soon convince a local store to carry them!

Tepary Bean and Vegetable Stew
Serves 4
Adapted from Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington (Chronicle Books 2008)
Tepary beans’ firm texture and sweet flavor pair well with most vegetables. This stew includes peppers, green beans, zucchini, and tomatoes, all of which, like tepary beans, originate in the Americas. I roast red peppers directly over a gas burner while the beans are cooking, put them in a closed paper bag until cool (which makes them easier to peel), remove the charred skin with my fingers (don’t use water; it’ll take away too much flavor), and cut them into thin strips. The sweet bean and vegetable stew is perfectly set off by best-quality, sharp, salty feta cheese from Greece.

1/2 pound dried tepary beans
Water
3 cups diced onions, 1/2” dice (1 large onion)
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1” lengths (4-5 cups)
1 large zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then diagonally into 1/4” slices (4 cups)
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
2 red bell peppers, roasted, cut into strips and then in half
4-6 ounces best quality feta cheese, crumbled, for garnish

Spread out the tepary beans in a flat pan and inspect carefully, removing any pebbles or debris. Rinse well with cold water. Put the beans in a large pot with enough water to cover them by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Cover and turn off the heat. Let sit for at least one hour. (NOTE: Next time I cook tepary beans, I’ll try eliminating this step; I suspect tiny teparies don’t need pre-soaking or pre-cooking.)

Bring the tepary beans and their liquid back to the boil (do not discard the original water). Turn down the heat, and simmer for 1 – 2 hours, or until the beans are just tender and not at all mushy.

In a separate pan, sauté the onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until the onions soften and start to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. When the tepary beans are done simmering, scrape the onions, garlic, and oil into the bean pot. Stir in the tomatoes and green beans. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the green beans are tender.

While the green beans are cooking, using the same pan in which the onions were cooked, sauté the zucchini, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil. Cook until the zucchini browns lightly and begins to soften. Turn off the heat and stir in the thyme.

When the green beans are tender, scrape the zucchini, thyme, and their oil into the bean pot. Stir in the roasted red pepper pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with crumbled feta.
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This is an entry for My Legume Love Affair – 9th Helping (MLLA9), created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, which I hosted in March 2009. My Legume Love Affair - 10th Helping for April 2009 is being hosted by Courtney of Coco Cooks.

Recipe: Braised Green Beans (Fasolakia) with Lemon (Φασολάκια Λαδερά με Λεμόνι)

“If there are three Greeks in a room, you’re bound to hear five different opinions about the correct way to cook just about anything.”

Or so goes the self-deprecating joke at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Anchorage, Alaska. Although it may not be literally true, the joke helps lighten the mood at festival time.

For the annual Greek festival held in August, parishioners join together to make classics of the Greek table. The correct ways to make Moussaka, Fasolakia (braised green beans), and Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) trigger the most vigorous debates. Everyone knows the “correct” recipe, but none of them are the same.

At Mama’s Taverna, Lulu captured the essence of these debates as she described how Zoe came up with her wonderful Fasolakia recipe.

The truth is, Greek braised green beans taste great no matter the recipe. As I commented to Lulu, “I’ve sautéed, I’ve not sautéed, I’ve layered, I’ve stirred, I’ve added potatoes, I’ve added zucchini, I’ve cooked the beans plain, I’ve cooked them with meat, I’ve cooked them without and, shockingly, I’ve even made them sans tomatoes. In all their incarnations, I’ve NEVER had a pot of Fasolakia that tastes anything other than absolutely wonderful.”

I no sooner sent the comment than I started obsessing about Fasolakia made without tomatoes (the most common recipe includes them). I used to make tomato-less Fasolakia all the time. In recent years I’ve been stuck on versions with tomato, one of which I wrote about in February: Greek Beef and Green Bean Stew and two of which are included in Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska (Fasolakia and Fasolakia with Zucchini and Potatoes).

Last night I made the tomato-less version. It was everything I’d been wanting. The braised beans and onions were soft and sweet, rich with oil and herbs, and tangy from the fresh lemon juice finish. This is a dish where bread is a necessary accompaniment; it’s a shame to let the remarkably good juices go to waste.

Fasolakia belongs to a class of Greek dishes called Ladera, which means “oily” (ladi/λάδι is the Greek word for oil). The oil and vegetable juices cook together to make a wonderfully unctuous sauce. However, for many today, traditional Ladera has too much oil. Adjust the amount of oil in the recipe to suit your taste; for the traditional version, use the larger amount.

When considering the amount of oil to use, keep in mind that olive oil is a heart-healthy fat. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, which can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in your blood.”

The FDA says there is "limited but not conclusive evidence" that 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily can reduce the risk of heart disease. (Olive oil should be substituted for fats already in the diet, and not just added to what you’re already eating.)

This recipe’s dedicated to Lulu and Zoe.

Braised Green Beans (Fasolakia) with Lemon (Φασολάκια Λαδερά με Λεμόνι)
Serves 4 - 6 as a main course
In this easy recipe, the herbs and vegetables are layered in a Dutch oven and cooked without stirring until the beans are soft and tender. The beans shouldn’t be crunchy, and must be cooked through. Adjust the amount of olive oil as desired. Serve with slices of feta cheese, Kalamata olives, bread, and lemon wedges.

1 1/2 pounds green beans (6 cups cleaned)
4 cups thinly sliced onions
1 1/2 cups minced parsley
1/2 cup minced dill
1/2 cup minced mint
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 – 1 cup olive oil
1/4 - 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges

Wash the beans, break off both ends, and break them in half. Mix the herbs and garlic together.

In a Dutch oven, layer 1 cup of onions on the bottom of the pan, top with 1/3 of the beans, then 1/3 of the herb mix, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and drizzle with 1/3 of the olive oil. Repeat. Repeat again but finish with the remaining cup of onions before drizzling with the last 1/3 of olive oil.

Cover and cook over medium high heat until the pan lid is hot. As soon as the lid is hot, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 hour, or until the beans are very soft and tender. Stir in 1/4 cup lemon juice. Taste and add lemon juice, salt, or freshly ground black pepper, as needed. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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This is my entry for Heart of the Matter’s May heart-healthy herb challenge hosted this month by Michelle at The Accidental Scientist.

Recipe: Greek Beef and Green Bean Stew (Μοσχάρι με Φασολάκια)

Greeks do wondrous things with braised green beans (Fasolakia - Φασολάκια in Greek).

I’ve eaten countless bowls of Fasolakia in Greece. I enjoy it best when I’m sitting outdoors under a shade tree, eating slowly to make it last, sipping wine, and watching the world go by.

In Alaska, I make Fasolakia often. Our climate may not be commodious, but the flavors of Fasolakia bring me straight back to Greece even when it’s snowing outside.

During the many Greek Orthodox fasting periods, green beans are braised in tomato sauce seasoned with fresh herbs. Sometimes potato, zucchini, or other vegetables are included in the stew. Although they don’t contain meat, these slow-cooked braises are full of flavor.

At other times of the year, green beans are braised with lamb or beef. Both are delicious. In Greece, I make this with low cost, high quality local lamb. In Alaska, I prefer using beef due to the cost and quality of lamb available in my state.

Greeks would say this dish is made with veal (moschari - μοσχάρι) rather than beef (vothino - βοδινό, a term you rarely hear in Greece). Greek “veal,” however, is very different than what is called veal in American markets.

American veal comes from milk fed calves between one and three months old, and its flavor is very mild. Greek veal, on the other hand, generally comes from yearlings or older cattle. It’s flavorful meat and much closer to what is sold as beef in American markets than it is to American veal.

Costco, my local warehouse store, carries reasonably priced boneless short ribs; I like using them for stew because they have more flavor than leaner cuts of beef. The short ribs’ fat and connective tissue melt into the braising liquid, leaving the meat fork tender. The fat can easily be skimmed off before adding green beans to the stew.

Normally, I prefer cooking meat on the bone, since bones add good flavor and texture. It is quicker and easier, however, to use boneless cuts for stew, which is what I do when I don’t have time to fiddle with removing the bones.

Beef and Green Bean Stew is wonderful with feta cheese, olives, plenty of crusty bread for sopping up the flavorful sauce, and a glass of full-bodied red wine.

Greek Beef and Green Bean Stew (Μοσχάρι με Φασολάκια)
Serves 8
I usually make this recipe with fresh green beans and it’s fantastic, but the glorious sauce makes even frozen green beans taste amazingly good. Sometimes I add potatoes, which contrast nicely with the vivid tomato sauce. To include potatoes, add an additional cup of beef stock and 1 pound of peeled potatoes cut into 1” – 2” chunks; I prefer using Yukon Gold or red potatoes. Add the potatoes at the same time as the beans.

2 1/2 pounds boneless short ribs or other beef suitable for stewing
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups diced onion, 1/2” dice
1 cup diced carrots, 1/2” dice
1 cup diced celery, 1/2” dice
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper or 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups ground tomatoes, fresh or canned
2 cups beef stock
1 pound fresh, or 10 ounces frozen and thawed, green beans
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh mint

Wash and dry the beef, trim off and discard any large pieces of fat, and season the meat with salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the meat on all sides; do this in batches to ensure the meat browns rather than steams. When the meat is browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan.

Stir in the onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sauté until the onions soften. Use the moisture from the onions to help scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the carrots and celery and continue to sauté until the onions begin to brown. Stir in the garlic and Aleppo pepper and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Return the meat and its juices to the pan, along with the tomatoes and beef stock; stir well to combine. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan, turn down the heat to low, and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, depending on the cut of beef.

While the beef is simmering, wash the green beans. If you are using fresh beans, break off both ends, and break in half. If you are using frozen beans, cut them in half.

After the meat has simmered for two hours, skim off any fat floating on the surface of the stew. Stir in the green beans, parsley, and mint. Continue to simmer for 45 – 60 minutes, or until the beans are very tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

Serve immediately.

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Since Greek Beef and Green Bean Stew is one of my favorite braises, I'm adding it to Swirling Notions' Braisy Chain and invite my friends and regular readers to join the chain by sending a recipe for their favorite braise to Swirling Notions.

Recipe: Greens and Beans Soup (Fasolia me Horta)

Greens and Beans Soup is a particularly welcome recipe because its ingredients are not cast in stone. If I don’t have kale, I make it with Swiss chard or spinach (although I add these tender greens later in the cooking process than I do kale).

Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska has moved as of March 2011. To read this post please go to


http://www.laurieconstantino.com/the-best-kale-for-soup/


Please click on over and visit my new site. Thank you!

Cookbook: Fasolakia (Green Bean and Tomato Stew)

My mouth began watering for Green Bean and Tomato Stew (Fasolakia) the minute I saw that Anchorage’s Costco had begun carrying two pound bags of green beans. Two pounds is the exact amount needed to make Fasolakia, a recipe in Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.

Fasolakia is familiar to patrons of old-style restaurants in Greece where customers are invited into the kitchen to choose from the day’s specials. My version is based on the countless bowls of Fasolakia I have enjoyed sitting under shade trees in outdoor restaurants, eating slowly to make it last, sipping wine, and watching the world go by.

The earthy bean flavor in Fasolakia, together with the sweetness of onion, the rich luxurious taste of tomatoes, and the fresh flavors of parsley, mint, and dill makes this an exceptional dish. Sometimes, when I want a heartier stew, I add chunks of peeled potatoes to the pot.

Flavors of Fasolakia: parsley, mint, dill, onions, beans

Fasolakia is a wonderful meal on its own accompanied by a slice of feta cheese and plump olives, or when served as a side dish with roasted chicken or meat. I always have plenty of crusty bread on hand to sop up the herb-filled sauce, and round out the meal with a glass of full-bodied red wine.

I’ve made myself hungry writing this. Luckily, there is leftover Fasolakia in the refrigerator.

Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska can be ordered here.