“We know there is a deep reservoir of food wisdom out there, or else humans would not have survived to the extent we have. Much of this food wisdom is worth preserving and reviving and heeding.”
— Michael Pollan in Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.
It occurs to me that there is a great deal of wisdom in the advice we receive at the dinner table, and I’ve been collecting it for years. I heard some of these aphorisms at home, and I heard others elsewhere: “Eat your vegetables,” “Chew your food,” “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” “Eat slowly,” “Don’t eat standing up,” and — my favorite — “The more colors on your plate, the better.”
There is more to these sayings than meets the eye. We have a lot of innate knowledge about food. For example, it now appears that chicken fat has antiviral properties. That makes a lot of sense to me. Why else would my medical school classmate,
Then there are beans. Beans are the only food in the universe that are high in both protein and fiber, and that makes them delicious, nutritious, and satisfying. We teach our children that beans are magic. Every culture has its “Jack & the Beanstalk” story. Beans are on the list of foods that prevent diabetes and obesity. Yet considering they’re so good for us, we don’t eat very many. People aren’t even sure what to do with them anymore. Over the past 100 years, home-based food wisdom has been a major casualty of the industrialization of food, and beans are a good example.
Recently, I found a 1991 article from the NYTimes, “To Reclaim Their Health and Heritage, Arizona Indians Reclaim Ancient Foods,” http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/21/science/to-preserve-their-health-and-heritage-arizona-indians-reclaim-ancient-foods.html?scp=2&sq=chia+seeds&st=nyt about native Americans learning methods of food preparation traditionally used by their ancestors. A return to a diet consisting primarily of beans, greens, whole grains, and high-fiber plant foods will normalize digestion, hunger, blood sugar, and weight. For all of us. Beans can be grown, soaked, sprouted, slow-cooked, and dried.
I’ve collected a few beanpot recipes for you to try. They all have in common the same approach. Collect a bunch of ingredients, throw them into a covered pot, and cook them over low heat for a pretty long time. You will not be sorry. These recipes are delicious. If you’d like to add a meat bone or a piece of flank steak as well, then go right ahead. And if you have another favorite recipe, please send it in. We can start a collection.
1. Black-eyed peas with vegetables and pasta
Ingredients: 1/2 lb. dry black-eyed peas; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 large carrots, finely chopped; 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped; 1/4 c. tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 c. water; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 bay leaf; 1 dried hot pepper or 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes; 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 c. elbow macaroni or small square Greek egg noodles; 1 c. chopped cooked spinach or greens; 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar.
Directions: On the stove, boil the black-eyed peas in a large soup pot for 5 minutes, and drain. Add onion, carrots, pepper, pasta, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, hot pepper and 1/4 cup olive oil to soup pot. Cover with water by 2 inches, cover the pot, and place it in a 300 degree oven for 2-3 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the greens, 2 more tbsp. olive oil if desired, and vinegar. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
2. White baked beans
Ingredients: 1 heaping c. dry white navy beans, 1/4 c. dry chick peas, 1 large onion, chopped; 4 carrots, peeled and sliced in small rounds; 3 tbsp. hot sauce; 2 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 t. salt, 4-5 c. water, and 4 whole raw eggs, in the shell.
Directions: Start this the night before, if you plan to eat it for lunch. Or before 8 a.m. if it’s going to be dinner. Place ingredients in a deep casserole dish. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by two or three inches. Cover the bean pot and place into a 250 degree oven. Turn it down to 200 degrees after a few hours. Check it a few times to make sure there is enough water just to cover the beans. The eggs absorb flavor across the shell and become the most amazing hard-boiled eggs you’ve ever eaten.
3. Exotic white beans (Thank you, Jean!)
Ingredients: 1 c. dry white beans; 1 large red onion, chopped; ¼ c. sundried tomatoes; 2 tbsp. brown sugar; 1 t. salt, 1 tbsp. thai roasted red chili paste, 5 c. water. Directions identical to #2, although Jean said that somehow she cooked the beans at 350 for 3 hours, and then 250 for a couple more hours, and then accidentally turned off the oven overnight. The beans were soft and delicious anyway. These recipes are very forgiving.
4. Black beans
Ingredients: 1 c. dry black beans; 1 large onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic; 3 tomatoes; 2 oranges, peeled and chopped into small pieces; 1/2 t. red pepper flakes; 3 tbsp. molasses; 1 t. salt; 5 c. water. Directions identical to #2.
Many years ago, my then-vegetarian sister had a boyfriend whose mother served her “bean loaf” on her first visit to their home. Its dreadfully unappetizing name was nothing like its flavor. We renamed it “chickpea pie,” and it stuck around for much longer than the vegetarianism (and the boyfriend). Here’s to the lowly but lovely bean. And here are a few more of my favorite sayings. “Eat close to the garden.” “Don’t buy products whose ingredients you can’t pronounce.” “Don’t buy products with more than four ingredients.” “Choose foods that have been through as few machines as possible.” These are all different ways of saying the same thing: Eat food, not manufactured calories.