Knowing it is much cheaper to buy beans dried instead of canned, I picked up a 2kg bag of them from Fiesta Farms today. Of course, once I got them home I realized I wasn’t completely sure how to cook them! It turns out it isn’t difficult at all, just a bit time consuming. Here’s how to do it!

Grab a large pot and toss in some dried beans and cold water, at a ratio of 3 cups water for every 1 cup of beans. Remember: bean volume will approximately double after cooking, so if you want about 2 cups of cooked beans, use 1 cup of dried. Heat to a rolling boil, but only boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for at least 4 hours. If you’re doing this in the evening and will not cook the beans until the next day, put them into the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans and then put new water into the pot. Make sure there is at least a few inches of water above the beans. Bring to a boil and partly cover, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Let the beans cook that way for 2 hours. If the water level gets too low (ie – the beans are exposed), top it up. Beans are fully cooked when they can easily be mashed with a fork.

Other tips and things to know:

Don’t salt the water for the soaking process. Add salt only once the beans are fully cooked.

It is important to gently simmer the beans while cooking them, so they are less likely to crack/lose their shape.

Store beans in some of their cooking water to prevent them from drying out. Just drain before using.

Why boil them for 3 minutes before the long soak? Those three minutes help break up some of the sugars in the beans, the same sugars that cause bloating and gas. Less gassy beans = win!

Putting a little oil into the cooking water can help keep the pot from boiling over or foaming too much.

Over the next little while I’ll post some tasty chickpea recipes!

The May 2006 issue of Fine Cooking has a great article about the art of making risotto. Rather than telling you exactly which ingredients to use, it gives you a very simple seven step method to follow with whichever items your heart desires. As someone who loves playing with new food ideas (and also loves a good risotto) I decided to try it out.

The results of the experiment are shown. Rich and I both conclude they are quite delicious indeed.

If you’d like to try this out yourself, here are the basic instructions:

Step one: Read through these steps and choose your ingredients. Prepare any meats or vegetables that need to be pre-cooked. Heat 5-7 cups of your choice of liquid (neede for step 5) in a large pot so it is hot but not boiling, and keep it simmering until you need it.

Step two: Sweat your aromatics. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a good-sized saute pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add two cups of leeks, onions, or shallots (or a combination of them that adds up to two cups). Cook slowly until softened, then add 1/2 cup of water and turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue cooking until water is completely gone and your aromatics are glistening but not brown.

Step three: Toast your rice and add the wine. Add 2 cups of risotto rice and turn the heat back up to medium. Stir constantly for 3 minutes until rice is toasted. Then add 1 cup of dry white wine and stir constantly until it is absorbed.

Step four: Add some flavour! Add in one or two things to give the risotto some extra flavour. Choose from 1/2 tsp of saffron (steeped in 1/2 cup of hot water), 1 1/2 cups of pureed tomatoes, 2 cups of finely sliced radicchio, or 1-1 1/2 cups of dried mushrooms (soaked in 2 cups of water and cut into bite-sized pieces).

Step five: Add your liquid in increments. This is the part that is the most time consuming of making risotto, but it is also the most important. Start by adding in 1-2 cups of any kind of broth (or just hot water if you don’t have broth), stirring until it is absorbed. Then add in another 1 cup at a time, stirring in each addition until it is absorbed as well. Once your rice is almost al dente, continue on to step six. You should still have some remaining broth or water at this point.

Step six: Add vegetables, seafood, or meat. You can add in as many items as you like, although I recommend only putting in one or two in order to not overpower the dish. Some ideas include: 2 cups of sauteed leeks, zucchini, asparagus, or butternut squash; 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp or scallops; 6 oz of cooked sausage, bacon, pancetta, chicken, beef, or pork. No matter what you choose, make sure to continue adding in your broth or water as before.

Step seven: After you’ve added in at least 5 cups of broth and the dish is creamy and al dente, remove the pot from the heat. Add in one or two finishing flavours (good choices include parsley, mint, basil, lemon zest, orange zest, or balsamic vinegar), 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter or good olive oil, and about 1 cup of parmesan or similar cheese. Stir well and serve immediately.

Feeds 6 hungry people.