Cooking Beans and Legumes

Red Beans and Rice, Soup Beans and Cornbread, Cuban Black Bean Soup, Indian Dahl, French Green Lentils, Boston Baked Beans, Hummus....beans (legumes) are ingrained in cultures around the world. As they should be. Packed with some awesome nutritional punch, they are a delicious staple in many diets. Loaded with vitamins and fiber, easy to store, transport and cook, and inexpensive to boot, beans are the best way I know to pack your diet with valuable nutrients. No more than a few days passes at my house before a variety of bean shows up on my table.

Although many varieties are available canned, which means they simply need to be heated, the taste of canned beans is far short of what can be achieved with a little planning and forethought. Canned beans also often come loaded with a bunch of stuff you just don't need and probably don't really want - the extra sodium, fat and preservatives just aren't luscious. Starting from scratch is far easier than you might think - and I'm going to show you how to do it. So here we go...

Start by selecting a market where there is a good bit of turnover - if the packages of beans are dusty, chances are they've been there long enough to have become petrified. Yes, dried beans are dry - but the more time that's passed from the time they were dried, the more additional moisture they've lost. This means several things - mainly that they'll take longer to cook. This means that more of their water soluble nutrients will be lost in the simmering process. The flavor will also be more flat and one dimensional. So look for beans that are fresher.




With that said - beans will last a while in storage - so a couple of weeks won't hurt anything. If you shop every couple of weeks or once a month, load up on different varieties of beans.



The first step is to dump the beans in a colander and rinse them off. They're already pretty clean - but you do want to get rid of any residual dust and dirt they may have brought with them from the field. You also want to check for tiny stones or clods of dirt that show up from time to time. Not often - but a little pepple is the last thing you want to bite. So rinse them off, pick them over, and you're good to go.



Most beans need to be soaked before cooking. The exceptions are lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas and mung beans. Sure you can skip the soaking step - I've done it and there was no Armageddon. But they taste better if you soak them. This is no more difficult than the rinsing. Put them in a heavy saucepan, cover them with several inches of water, and walk away.



Soaking times for beans can vary significantly - but in general the larger the bean the longer the soaking (and cooking) time. If want to get really technical about it you can check out the USDA's website - they have a great simple search engine that will allow you to pull up particulars by type. However - billions of home cooks for centuries have just started the soaking before bed - and when they're ready to cook the next day, the beans are ready to cook. I love how that works. Magic!

Once your beans have soaked, they'll look a good bit like your fingertips when you stay too long in the bathtub. That's all right - doesn't matter any more to the beans than it does to your toes. Drain the soaking water off, rinse them real quick, replace the water and you're ready for the stovetop.




Add a touch of salt and fat. Both bring flavor - and can help prevent the beans from boiling over. Bring them to a boil, reduce to a simmer and there you go. You can cover them if you wish - I usually don't - but that depends on how much of the cooking liquid you care to have evaporate during the cooking process. Many of the dishes I prepare are soups - which means I start with more than the Rule of Three amount of cooking liquid (three times the volume of the beans) because I want to end up with lots of broth. If you want drier beans, cover them and watch the simmering carefully so they don't end up too dry. Scorched beans make a mess, and require WAY too much elbow grease to remove the nasty burnt black gunk off your favorite red porcelain enameled cast iron pot. Not that I know from experience.



How long you cook the beans will depend on the type, the soaking time, and how 'fresh' they were to begin with. I found the nifty little cooking times and put the charts up - but please, please keep in mind that there are variables for these times. You want the beans tender, but in most cases not mushy. There should be a little hint of 'al dente' when you test one. The primary rule is cooking anything is to taste - and beans are a great example. Use these cooking times as a guide - but know that they can - and probably will - vary.





Now I've already mentioned that salt and fat need to be added at the beginning of cooking. You also may have heard that salt shouldn't be added until the beans are cooked because they will be tough. The thought is that salt toughens the skin of the beans, preventing them from becoming fully tender. Nope. 100% not true.




It's not salt that will toughen beans - it's acid. If you're making a dish requiring tomatoes, lemon or lime, vinegar or pineapple - put those in after the beans are done. Acids will toughen the skin of legumes.



Salt however is not guilty. What DOES happen if you don't salt beans during the cooking process is that you have a lot of bland beans floating around in flavored liquid. Salting at the beginning of cooking means that the beans can absorb the salt, resulting in the interior of each and every beautiful little bean tasting just as good as the broth. Salting throughout any cooking process means food tastes seasoned, instead of just salty. Don't underestimate the amount of salt you'll need either - remember the First Rule of Cooking. TASTE! Salt until it tastes good. It's that simple.



Other flavorings or aromatics can be added as well - and the choices are boundless. Think about the properties of what you want to add, and put them in at the right time. For example, if you're making navy bean soup, with about 1 - 1/2 hours of cooking time, then add smoked or salted pork at the beginning, because those can handle the long simmering. Add carrots, onion and celery halfway through, so the veggies are cooked without disintegrating. Aromatic spices can also be added - bay, coriander, cumin, turmeric, rosemary, thyme and cinnamon can handle the heat. Parsley, oregano, and cilantro can't - so add them at or near the end.



As far as the fats go - that's simply up to you. Think of the dish you're making and the flavor profile you want. Beans and pork are a natural - smoked, salted, fresh, sausage - there are tons of combinations and most are fabulous. Southerners use a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease, Italians a touch of pancetta. But try simply drizzling lentils with a rockin' good olive oil. Or hummus and walnut oil. White beans and a spiced olive oil. The more delicate oils will be used at finish - cooking will destroy their flavors. But you can drizzle in a touch of something very neutral at the beginning of the cooking process and add the lovely flavored stuff at service. Beans have the beautiful property of tasting like themselves, while still absorbing other flavors. Use your imagination and you'll be amply rewarded.





Now I haven't mentioned pressure cookers yet - although the USDA was all over them, and there are cooking times and charts for pressure cooking everywhere you look. The reason is simple - I don't have one.




Mama does however, and she used hers with abandon when I was growing up. I have foodie friends who use them as well, and swear by them. I understand that they result in really yummy beans. The main reason I don't use them is because I like to watch my food while it cooks. Simple as that. I like to see it, taste it, smell it at different times in the cooking process. With a pressure cooker you also can't 'layer' in flavor as you can on the stovetop. Admittedly that's part of my over obsession with food - I love the process of cooking as much as the final result. It's absolutely all right to use a pressure cooker though. If I had one, I'd probably use it all the time.



I can't even begin to comment on cooking beans in the microwave. I use mine to boil water sometimes. If I remember it's there, which I usually don't. I've heard it can be done. But I've heard people have seen Bigfoot too.



I can talk about the oven though. If you're going to bake off a dish that's done in the oven, you'll follow the same steps outlined above. Just be careful at the final stages - you want the beans to be tender, but just barely. Baked beans get that unbelievable crust from the slow dry heat of the oven. The sauce slowly evaporates and coats the beans in an amazing glaze. That's perfect! You want that - but you don't want them overcooked at the outset or you'll have nothing but mush by the time the glaze is done.



If they aren't tender enough though - you may not get them there at all. Many versions of baked beans use tomato in the sauce - and tomato means acid. Remember acids will keep beans from becoming tender - so watch where you have your beans when they go into the oven. The good thing is that there's a pretty large window for this stage on the stovetop. It's not like one minute they're underdone and 30 seconds later they're ruined. Toward the end of your cooking time do five minute taste tests and you'll be fine.





A final word...

All right. Beans are known to cause issues with some people. The reason is that there are some complex sugars in beans known as polysaccharides which are very difficult to digest. However, the intestinal track contains flora which does digest them - and it's those microorganisms which produce the gas.



There are ways to combat this problem. Eating beans in combination with certain other foods or spices is the first. Dairy products such as yogurt or sour cream can help. Spices such as cumin, coriander, kombu, turmeric and caraway can assist. But the main thing that you can do is simply eat more beans - the more you consume the more accustomed your own system becomes, and the more - uh - efficient digestion becomes.

Vinegars

Leave it to the French to name even culinary screw-ups to the highest level of kitchen achievement. Vinegar is Old French for ‘sour wine’ – vin aigre. About 10,000 years ago someone opened a cask of wine and discovered that something had gone terribly wrong – the alcohol had fermented to the point that acetic acid (ethanoic acid) had been produced. Sugars had turned to alcohol, and then gone further to vinegar. But there was redemption – the wine wasn’t wine anymore – but what had been achieved was vinegar – one of the most remarkable culinary tools in cuisines around the world. Vinegars can be made from many liquids containing natural sugars. If it can be fermented – it can be made into vinegar. Maple syrup, cane sugar, coconut milk, honey, beer, wine, rice, potatoes, fruits of all kinds – you name it, chances are there’s a vinegar based on it.

As early as 5000 BC the Babylonians were using vinegars to flavor foods as well as preserve them. It appears in Egypt around 3000 BC, and in China as early as 2000 BC. It appears throughout the Old and New Testaments, and in Islam it was named a “Blessed seasoning” by Mohammed. Cleopatra – that tricky chick – pulled on her Scientist Costume - -showing it was a solvent. Of course she did this by dissolving a quantity of pearls and drank them to win a wager – but she did it. Soldiers from the Roman Empire to the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars have quaffed it in a variety of forms and for a number of purposes – from aphrodisiacs to the prevention of scurvy. Louis Pasteur researched with it – proving it was a result of fermentation in the 1860’s.



Perhaps my favorite vinegar story involves four thieves in France in the Middle Ages. During the Black Plague they would sneak into the houses of the dead and dying and rob them. Once apprehended they were offered their lives in exchange for the secret of their survival. How had they not contracted the plague, the judge wanted to know? Their secret? A potion sold to them by a witch, made of garlic soaked in red wine vinegar. To this day it’s used in the practice of voodoo down in New Orleans – and known as Four Thieves Vinegar. That story alone makes me want to cook something with it. Maybe there’s a gumbo in that…



Vinegar is made traditionally by the slow fermentation of sugars; the oxidation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Typically the acetic acid produced in the process has a concentration in vinegars of 4-8% - the range for table vinegars. Other acids can be present as well, depending on the source of the ethanol. Tartaric acid and citric acid are common. Vinegars are produced naturally over the course of weeks or months – and in the case of some – over the course of years. Vinegars are often aged as well – often in barrels just as wines are aged. Perhaps the queen of these vinegars is Balsamic – a fragrantly aromatic little elixir from the Modena and Reggio Emilia regions of Italy.




Vinegars can also be “forced” – produced much more quickly by oxygenating the liquid in order to increase the speed of fermentation. This process is typically used commercially, and shortens production time significantly.



A few basic vinegars are typically available in the average supermarket, with higher end or gourmet stores carrying a larger variety. Even small stores will carry a few basic types – white distilled vinegar, red and white wine vinegars, commercially produced balsamic vinegars, and perhaps sherry, champagne and rice vinegars. Distilled white vinegar is generally too harsh for cooking – although it’s great for pickling and preserving. Look for apple cider vinegar first, then branch out your inventory as you experiment.



If you have a farmer’s market in your vicinity, check it out for artesian vinegars. It can be like a treasure hunt – you never know what you might find! If you’re looking for a particular type, the Internet will be your best friend. Coconut vinegar – essential to authentic Southeast Asian and South Pacific cuisines – is one that you’ll probably have to order from an online source.





In the kitchen, vinegars can be used as you would any acid – and you can experiment with a touch of vinegar in just about any dish. You’ll be rewarded with a bright burst of flavor. But beyond that, the acid in vinegar can be a powerful workhorse. It can act as the acid in any marinade, and can form a component of a brine as well. Deglaze a pan and reduce a flavored vinegar for a quick pan sauce. Add it to poaching liquid – the acids can help proteins coagulate, helping to keep delicate fish and eggs firmer and more cohesive.




Vinegars can be used to make an acidulated water – use it to prevent potatoes, apples and other fruits and vegetables from oxidizing or turning brown before you cook them. A few drops of apple cider vinegar is amazing in apple pies, and can be used to help keep candy from becoming granular when cooking with sugar. Add a tablespoon to a cup of sweet milk, allow it to sit for a while, and you’ll have buttermilk.



Emulsify vinegar with good oil and you’ll have dressings – of all kinds. Whisked into egg yolk it’s mayonnaise. Made into a brine with salt and aromatics and you’ve got the means to make pickles. Treat it as a sauce on its own – a condiment for fish, for chicken, for potatoes – malt vinegar is amazing on french fries. Mix rice vinegars with a touch of soy sauce and sesame oil for a fabulous dipping sauce. The use of vinegars is nearly endless - Chef and author Michael Ruhlman stated that perhaps the use of vinegars alone can elevate a good cook to a spectacular one.



For more information including photographs - check out the link above!

Leaveners

Flaky biscuits, fluffy pancakes, pillowy sandwich bread, chewy French loaves, ethereal angel food cake, tender devil’s food, soft oatmeal cookies, and cloudlike soufflé…mmmmm. All of these little lovelies share a common trait – they have all been leavened. Leavening is the means by which lift is introduced to baked goods, giving them their characteristic textures, and in some cases, much of the flavor as well.

Leaveners are the means by which this happens, and for the home cook, leavening is going to fall into one of three categories; biological, chemical or mechanical. Yes – this makes it all sound like the introduction to a science class you didn’t really want to take. But knowing what they are and how they work will give you culinary superpowers. The neato-keen part is that it’s not nearly as esoteric as it sounds at first; you’ve even heard of all these things.



Yeast, baking soda, baking powder and the creaming method are the leavening agents with which this article will be concerned, since they are the methods and ingredients with which the home cook will be working. There are others – but unless you’re heading into the world of commercial baking or brewing beer, you probably won’t encounter them. So here we go…




Yeast


The biological and chemical leaveners share the characteristic of releasing gas bubbles when activated, which provides the lift and therefore the texture of baked goods. Carbon dioxide gas is released into a dough or batter, which then creates the volume which is characteristic. There are mulitple types of each, but most people will be using one of three: yeast, baking soda, and baking powder.



Yeast is the biological leavener that is most used by the home cook. It is a single celled microorganism which grows, multiplies and works on it's little food supply. As it does each of these things, it produces lovely stuff which the cook can use. During food production, alcohol and carbon dioxide gas are produced, which do two things. The alcohol, during fermentation, is what gives us the 'yeasty' flavor and aroma so fabulous with bread. (Brewers and vintners love it for this alone). The carbon dioxide which is released in this process is released into the dough, where it is trapped by the matrix developed during the kneading process. Baking sets this matrix, so breads that are risen correctly retain their shape.



Yeasts are everywhere. Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It literally floats around wild - and you can set a trap for it if you wish to make Sourdough Bread. However, you can also run down to your Piggly-Wiggly and grab it if you're making any other type of bread. There are three types easily used at home. They're all basically the same - the difference is in how they processed and packaged.



Active dry yeast - probably the most common, this comes in either little packets for 'single use' or in jars at the grocery. Bulk warehouse stores carry it in larger one pound containers. Keep it in a cool, dry place, and once opened, store it in the fridge, tightly covered. Bring it to room temperature before using.

Fast rising active dry yeast - this can be used interchangeably with active dry yeast, it just works more quickly. Older recipes will need to have thier rise times adjusted. A benefit to this is that often a second rise in bread baking is not necessary - a downfall is that the second rise allows more flavor to develop. This one is often used in single rise bread machines, and the grains are smaller than active dry. This one can be mixed with the dry ingredients, skipping the proofing process.

Compressed fresh yeast - this one contains much more moisture than the dry yeasts, and must be stored in the fridge. It's also rather perishable - you'll need to use it within a couple weeks of purchase, or it will die. You can freeze it, but then you need to use it immediately upon defrosting. Compressed yeast comes in little cakes - so I've heard. It's hard to find in the United States because active dry yeast is so convenient. So I've never actually used it. In theory for recipe conversion the exchange is one cake of compressed yeast to a scant tablespoon of dry yeast.

Yeast doesn't ask much of us in order to produce incredible results. It needs food and warmth - just like we all do! Love it a little bit and you'll be well rewarded. In order to activate yeast, put it warm water, and give it a little food in the form of sugar. Yeast needs warm - not hot - water. Remember that this is a living organism. You don't want your own bath water over 120F - so when activating (also called 'blooming' or 'proofing') your yeast, think of the same bath water in which you'd bathe a baby, and you'll be good. The ideal temperature is 105-115F for proofing yeast, but I honestly never measure. I run the water over the inside of my forearm, and it it would make a baby happy, it'll make the yeast happy.



Much of the time bread recipes will call for two ingredients - sugar and salt. You won't need much of either, but both have an important part to play. Yeast uses sugar as a food source - so sugar in a dough allows for the fermentation process to work. Yeast can also use starch - in flour - so it's not absolutely necessary. But it also provides a little mellow flavor and a nice complexity.



Salt is a little trickier. It will have the opposite effect as sugar does - it will retard the fermentation process. I think almost everything needs a touch of salt - and in breads it helps with a finer crumb and better crust. Too much though will prevent the yeast from doing it's job, and result in bread that is salty, vs. flavorful. So be judicious.



Baking Soda


I actually have an early memory of baking soda. I'm not sure what that says about the early development of my obsession with food. In the first grade, at age six, a story teller gave a performance at my elementary school. One of the stories was called "Sody Saluratus" - and told a tale of an old woman trying to get her biscuits to rise. I don't remember what happened to her or her baked goods, but it did give me an easy way to remember the difference between baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda is older (hence the folktale), and is an ingredient in baking powder. So just remember that baking soda comes first.



The tale's title came from the name of the first commercially marketed bicarbonate of soda. Soda saleratus was the name given to the product when Arm & Hammer packaged it back in 1867 (from the Latin sal and aeratus for salt and aerated respectively). Of course it had been around before then, but American marketing made it widely available. Double acting baking powder came along in the late 1880's, and the first name brand - Calumet - is still found in millions of American homes.



Baking soda is alkaline, and requires an acid in order to work. In baked goods, the acid often comes in the form of lactic acid, via buttermilk or yogurt. The soda, when combined with acid, releases carbon dioxide, much like yeast does in the fermentation process. This is why it is often used in quicker recipes - it works immediately instead of over a 'rise' process. It will also react immediatly in the presence of water - for this reason it is mixed with the dry ingredients, and any batters or doughs in which it is used should be baked immediately. They will lose their lift if left too long.



Baking Powder


Baking powder is one step ahead of baking soda - primarily. There's a trick you need to know. Commercial baking powder, such as what you find in most grocery stores, is a type known as double acting - meaning it releases carbon dioxide twice. The first is on contact with moisture, and the second on heating - such as the in the oven. This type of baking powder already contains an acid - usually cream of tarter - so is used when no additional acids are used in a recipe. For this reason you can NOT substitue baking soda for baking powder in recipes.



You also need to keep in mind that soured milk products - yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk - have a higher acid content than sweet dairy products such as milk or cream. For this reason, you'll need to keep in mind that acids in these ingredients will 'unbalance' your recipe if you don't adjust your baking powder, and you'll have less lift than you need to acheive a good result.



Single acting baking powders are harder to find - tartrate and phosphate - but can be purchased online through a little diligent searching. They are single acting because they have one release of carbon dioxide - when they contact liquid. Like double acting baking powder - the carbon dixoide is released upon contact so goods baked with these should be baked off immediately. They are worth hunting down though - especially if you have heirloom recipes or antique or vintage cookbooks. Just buy small amounts because baking powders lose their potency and freshness relatively quickly. The most you're going to get wtih cool, dry storage is a few months of active leavening power.



Mechanical Leavening


Mechanical leaveners are perhaps the simplest - you're using one of a number of methods to get air into a dough or batter. The creaming method is when fat and sugar are whipped together. The edges of the sugar crystals literally cut the particles of fat down, which allows for air to be trapped in the resulting mix. This is the first step to creating tender crumb and texture to many cookies and cakes, although sometimes an additional chemical leavener is used for additional lift.



Whipping egg whites or cream will also create the pockets of air that are necessary for lift. Egg whites are whipped for thousands of applications - from sauces to souffles, and when the resulting product is baked, the pockets are set - trapping the rise in place. Whipped cream will create rise, and is often used initially in a baking process, although there must be another element before baking, as the butterfat content in cream is rather high, and it will melt when baked.



The final mechanical method of leavening a dough is through steam. This is one of the tricks to great flaky biscuits- although a chemical leavener is used, much of the characteristic texture comes when the moisture in the dough encounters heat high enough to immediately vaporize to steam - create the pockets or holes you'll see on the interior. Any dough cooked at a temperature high enough to flash moisture to steam uses this method - including some deep fried batters.



For the complete article, including how-to videos and photographs, check the link above!

Onion

It’s difficult to imagine cooking without onion. They are so necessary to cuisines around the world that the basic prep step in cooking many dishes calls for mirepoix, trinity, soffrito or something similar. These are simply the names of a mix of vegetables, including onion, the preparation of which is considered essential. The French have mirepoix, onion, celery and carrot sautéed in butter. The Italians soffrito, the same with the addition of garlic and sautéed in olive oil. The Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana use the Trinity – onion, bell pepper and celery. But they all begin with onion.




Onions have been used by humans for millennia, although the dates of cultivation aren’t clear. Use dates to the Bronze Age – 5000 BC, and it’s certain that the builders of the Egyptian pyramids were fed onion. It was worshipped in Egypt as well, with the concentric growth pattern symbolizing eternal life. Ever since it’s been an integral foundation stone for the cuisines of most of the world’s cultures, spanning the globe fully. They have been valued as a food source not only for immediate or fresh use, but also because they are easily stored, and handle transport well. The Middle Ages saw Europeans using them as a type of currency, the Greeks used them for their athletes. Romans rubbed them on the body to firm up muscles. They arrived in the New World with Columbus, and throughout cultures and centuries they have been ingested or applied in various ways as a medicine.



Onion can be eaten in any number of ways, fresh, frozen, canned, preserved, smoked, and pickled among others. The flavor, depending on the particular cultivar, can range from sharp and pungent to sweet and truly mild. The onion is full of natural sugars, which caramelize beautifully, deepening and mellowing the flavors, and becoming complex with cooking. They even change in different ways depending on the type of cooking method – the stir fry with a hot fire in an iron wok results in a different profile then the long slow browning in butter over low heat.



Onions are not often eaten alone, but they are used extensively as an accompaniment, to bolster and highlight the flavors of other foods, or as a garnish. Mechanical manipulation before use runs the gamut as well, from a rough chop to the finest dice. The word onion is commonly used to refer to the standard garden or bulb onion, and these are all members of the genus Allium . Green onions, or scallions, are the same as yellow, white, Spanish or Vidalias, simply harvested earlier and eaten or used whole. When mature the tops are discarded – usually because they are bitter when older – and the bulb alone is utilized. Colors can vary significantly, from a pure white, to cream, to the reds and purples.

Onions have been promoted for centuries for the various beneficial effects on health, however, recent research has shown that there may be some truly advantageous elements to the onion. Non fat, and low in protein, they are loaded with Vitamin C and folate. They also contain significant amounts of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Studies have not yet born out regarding claims that the consumption on onion is tied to a reduced risk of diabetes or osteoporosis, but there have been some hints that they assist with a lower risk of head and neck cancers. In general, the sharper the taste, the higher the content of the pertinent nutrients – phenols and flavenoids – thought to have the most medicinal properties.




Check out the USDA’s Nutrition Facts page. Onions can be a good source of calcium, manganese, phosphorus, Vitamin B6 and potassium.



There are myriad folk methods for making sure that the preparation of onion doesn’t cause tears – cutting them under running water, having them well chilled or partially frozen, holding a toothpick in your mouth, leaving the root attached while cutting – but the cause of eye irritation is simple. The lacrimal glands are irritated by the release of chemicals present when the outer layer of onion is pierced and combined with others in the interior. Water will prevent some of this – washing away the offending chemicals and preventing the compounds from reaching the eyes and nose. However, it’s long been common knowledge in culinary circles that the most effective preventative of tears when cutting onions is a sharp knife. Speed and effective knife skills are your best friends. Keep your tools in top order and your knife work honed and you’ll be fine.



Onions are easy to find – even the smallest, most poorly stocked grocery has onions. At the least a yellow and white will be available. Larger stores will have more variety, with shallots and scallions available as well. In the spring look for Vidalia or Walla-Walla sweets, which don’t fare as well cooked as more pungent varieties, but are unbelievable eaten raw or barely sautéed. Farmer’s Markets often have more rare cultivars, including heirlooms which are making a comeback for more complex flavors. Try them all! Experiment with different varieties – none of them will be anything less than delicious, and you’ll discover the wonderful differences that can be found.



When purchasing onions, make sure the neck – the stem end – is tightly closed. You want a firm onion without soft spots – these indicate spoilage. You also want to avoid onions with dark places – this can indicate a black mold that will quickly spread and make the entire onion – or batch – nasty and inedible. Don’t purchase onions that have sprouted, and make sure that they are very dry. Moisture is an enemy to your onions.



Storage is also simple. But in small amounts – yellow and white onions are often sold in five pound bags, or buy just the two or three you’ll use within a few days. The most important elements to storage of onions is air circulation and temperature. Make sure you have a cool, but not cold, location – room temperature is fine for just a few days. Keep them dry, and make sure there is adequate air circulation. Don’t keep them in plastic bags – they’ll quickly go mushy and begin to rot. A wire basket is ideal. Don’t let them have direct sunlight and you’ll be golden!



If you wish to store a partial onion – you have a couple of choices. In all cases the onion should be tightly wrapped and placed in the refrigerator, and used within just a few days. Many cooks will chopped an entire onion, using only what they need for an immediate use, and store the rest for another day. You can also chop only part of the onion, leaving the root end attached, and chopping the rest as you need it, preserving a bit more of the moisture in the onion, and therefore more of it’s flavor.

Pork

Ask me about my favorite protein, and the answer hands down will be pork. Flavorful and adaptable, inexpensive and widely available, this lovely meat can handle just about any cooking technique or method, and can both impart and absorb flavors readily. Pan fried, sautéed, braised, smoked, barbecued, roasted, grilled – the list can go on as long as there is a cooking method. Pork can handle whatever you want to do with it, and will reward you with loads of flavor.




Domesticated as early as 5000 BC from wild boar, perhaps in China, Sus domesticus (the common domesticated pig) readily adapted to human needs. Omnivorous in nature, people have long kept pigs for the simple reason that they were easy to feed, grew rapidly, and extremely useful. “Everything but the squeal” can be used, from the meat and bones to the hides and hooves. The high return for less input than other animals made them ubiquitous nearly worldwide.



Currently 38% of the world’s meat consumption is pork. Patterns of consumption vary widely from country to country. Two of the world’s major religions, Judaism and Islam both restrict pork entirely. The South Pacific, China and the United States embrace it. Wild boar was first domesticated probably in China, spreading throughout the Pacific from there. In the Americas, pigs were brought over when Coumbus made his initial voyage, spreading rapidly both in the wild and via human settlement.



The word pork entered English from the Middle French porc , and in turn from the Latin porcus . Fresh cuts of course include all types of bone-in and boneless chops, roasts, ribs, and shoulders. Once smoked, cured, brined or processed, the resulting meats are included in the branch of culinary arts known as charcuterie. Preference and use of particular cuts of fresh pork vary significantly from location to location. Products of charcuterie also vary significantly, from pancetta in Italy, smoked bacon in the United States, and preserved pork in China. It is most definitely the opinion of this author that in charcuterie lies the pinnacle of the culinary arts. Bring it on.

Fresh pork however, is a simple, fast and lean protein. It takes well to the same brining processes that can be used to ensure flavorful poultry, and can be prepared with just about any cooking method imaginable. The National Pork Council lists quite a few cut, along with pictures of each on the web site: www.theotherwhitemeat.com. It should be noted that often there are regional differences in the names of particular cuts – however, this is a great general guideline. For quicker cooking, on stove top, as a stir fry or on the grill, try the chops, blade steaks or cutlets. For roasting try tenderloin, or a shoulder to braise or slow smoke. For something special, have an herb rubbed crown roast. But by no means do you have to stick with those – pork is truly adaptable. Use country style ribs for beautiful Korean barbeque – and of course spareribs on the grill are unbelievable.




The cooking method which you will use will depend on the fat content of your cut. Be careful with the leaner cuts - in recent years prk has become lower in fat due to creeding and feeding changes. The result is a healthier cut, lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, but it can also mean tougher, chewier meats. With chops and tenderloin, try brining the pork in a salt/sugar brine, and using a hot skillet or grill for a quick sear.



Bone in cuts will retain more flavor when cooked - which is typical of most meats. The bone will also help retain moisture in the final product. There is also a little more choice in cooking methods. Bone in cuts can be roasted - try a very hot oven to start, then reduce the heat until the desired internal temperature is reached. This will allow a beautiful crust to form, helping to hold in juices, while keeping the interior moist and flavorful. Or try low and slow on the grill - ribs are a perfect choice for several hours at low temperture. Or go with the smoker - the ultimate acheivement is the pink smoke ring on the interior of smoked pork when the temperature is controlled correctly.



Another payoff? Pork has some rather lovely nutritional numbers. It’s treated in culinary circles as a white meat along with light poultry, although nutritionally speaking it’s closer to red meat. The main difference is in the presence of myoglobin: pork has more than chicken and less than beef.



Pork is high in thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. It contains some iron, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B12. Many cuts are very low in fat as well.



Purchase and storage is relatively simple - the number one requirement is to use your head. Of course most chefs will tell you to find a butcher as opposed to a supermarket - knowing your butcher admittedly is key to finding the best and freshest meats possible. However, that's not always a possibility. In that case you need to look at the meat department of your grocery store. Find out how often new stock is received. Check packaging dates. Look at the meat itself - it should be bright and fresh to the eye. Boneless cuts will often be creamier in appearance than bone-in - but all of them should appear moist. More unusual cuts - such as the crown roast - may have to be ordered in advance, especially from a meat department at a grocery vs. a butcher. In any case get to know whoever it is that arranges for the meat to be brought in - butcher, store manager, meat manager etc. This will help assure that you have the most information, and information means better meals!



Keep fresh pork in the fridge, and use it within a couple of days of purchase. No later than the 'sell-by' date on the labels - but as ideally as close to purchase as possible. Pork takes well to freezing as well - make sure it is tightly wrapped and well labeled, and use it within a couple of months. Always defrost in the refrigerator.



That's it! Take this info and start playing. Find your own favorite cuts and techniques for preparation. You'll be delighted at the results!

Buttermilk

I doubt most people anymore grew up drinking buttermilk. Or further, crumbling their cornbread into a glass of it to dip out with a spoon. When I’ve mentioned drinking buttermilk plain to my children, I’ve gotten the inevitable ‘gross!’. While few people drink it straight anymore, buttermilk has been getting more of the recognition it deserves in the culinary world in recent years, moving out of the Southern, Middle Eastern or Indian kitchen and into the wider culinary world. And it’s about time! Buttermilk is a good cook’s secret weapon – and it can serve in several different capacities in the kitchen. It’s fabulous in baked goods, as a meat tenderizer, and an element in emulsions and dressings. It’s inexpensive, low in fat and packed with some great nutritional elements. It’s rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin and vitamin B12.




Traditionally, buttermilk was the tart liquid left over when the solids were removed in the butter making process. As part of the process, whole milk was allowed to sit to allow the milk and cream to separate. Lactic-acid producing bacteria naturally present would begin a process of fermentation. Because most of the butterfat remained in the butter portion, buttermilk itself is rather low in fat, yet it retains valuable nutrients. The soured liquid remaining behind – with a lower pH - contained many of these bacteria, as well as additional beneficial microorganisms (which is why buttermilk was often used as a digestive aid). Because much of the lactose is converted by the beneficial bacteria in the production process, many of those who are lactose intolerant found they could easily digest dishes made with buttermilk.



Modern production of buttermilk is a bit different, although using the exact principles that have been used for centuries. Cow’s milk is inoculated with the Streptococcus lactis, and the resulting slightly fermented, sour liquid is known as cultured buttermilk. A slightly different variety is called Bulgarian buttermilk, is slightly more sour and uses Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The two varieties can be used interchangeably in the kitchen – it’s simply up to the cook and personal preference and availability.

All varieties of buttermilk contain casein, milk protein; traditional buttermilk has clabbered or thickened less than cultured buttermilk. This results in the difference in thickness you can observe, and which most cooks are accustomed to. The thick creamy mouth feel of ranch or green goddess dressing is due to cultured buttermilk. Both dishes were developed in the latter 20th century using widely available cultured buttermilk. Chemically both cultured and traditional types will behave the same in the kitchen – both work well as tenderizers for example. They also have much the same nutritional profile.




Almost any grocery store will carry buttermilk. It is far more prevalent, and greater variety can be found in either ethnic stores (Indian stores are great), or in mainstream grocery stores in the South. My personal preference is for whole-milk buttermilk, but if all you can find is low or non-fat varieties, then it’s no problem. If you’re lucky enough to find Bulgarian, give it a try. Experiment with each type until you discover your own personal preferences. It will all ‘behave’ the same way when you cook with it – the differences will be in texture and thickness.



So what do you do with it? The first and most obvious uses are in dressings. America’s favorite is ranch – try mixing a batch from scratch. Or green goddess – my personal favorite from the 50’s which I wish would make a whole scale comeback. It’s amazing in baked goods – pancakes, biscuits, breads and crusts – the lactic acid in buttermilk reacts with leaveners such as baking powder to create the ‘lift’ that makes the inside of a good biscuit so heavenly. The acid reacts to create little bubbles which lift the dough and create a truly tender crumb. Try it as a tenderizer in marinades – lamb, pork and chicken especially take to the gorgeous bit of tang and more tender texture that a buttermilk bath can impart. Southern Fried Chicken especially relies on a soak in buttermilk.



Nutritional Information


Now of course the best place for nutritional information is the label on each brand - general information from sites such as the USDA will rely on generalities. However, remember that these are guides - if you don't have a mass spectrometer in your kitchen you aren't going to get everything exactly right. You will however, get really close, and more importantly, be able to work this information into your overal dietary picture.



Low fat buttermilk is relatively low in calories - 98 per 8 ounce serving. In addition it contains just over 8 grams of protein per serving, as well as 284 mg of calcium. That's quite a punch - 16% of the daily value of protein, and 28% of the DV for calcium. Pretty good for something that's delicious as well, huh?



The same 8 ounces will give 22% of the DV of riboflavin, 11% of potassium, and 9% of B12. The downside - you're also going to get a rather sharp sodium punch - 11% of the daily value, or 257 mg, so be careful there. In addition, much of the nutritive value in buttermilk comes from carbohydrates, so the glycemic scale should be watched carefully. The USDA states the glycemic load of a cup of buttermilk at 8.



Overall though, this is an amazing substance, and once you begin to experiement with it, you'll see how powerful a tool it can be. Don't be afraid of buttermilk - it wants to be your friend. Let it - and allow it to make you a culinary rock star.

For more information and photographs, check out the link above.

Beans and Legumes

If you grew up in the Appalachian South, as I did, it’s a given that you also grew up on Soup Beans and Cornbread – a dish so ubiquitous and beloved that it’s part of the soul of our culture. This particular dish consists of pinto beans simmered for several hours, usually with onion and some form of pork and served chow-chow or hot sauce and with loads of buttermilk cornbread to crumble into it. Variations are all over, but that’s the basis. In this regard, we join cultures from around the world in having a culturally defining dish that involves legumes. The Japanese have edamame, South America the black bean, the Middle East the beautiful chickpea, lentils from France – many cultures have developed a base dish involving this nutritional powerhouse. Archeological evidence has beans being grown in Thailand as early as 7000 BCE, and in the Americas 4000 years BCE.


Beans, according the FAO, are pulses – foods that are harvested for use as dry grains. In that case, green beans and peas are not pulses, but cranberry beans, pintos, black eyed peas, fava beans, and lentils are. The ones grown for oil, such as soybeans and peanuts – are not pulses, although they are beans. I personally don’t think the designation adds much to everyday usage – it’s rather confusing, although for agricultural purposes the distinction could be useful. For the purposes of these articles though, I’m going to use the more commonly known derivations, beans, legumes, soy, etc.

So why beans?


Because they taste great! Each variety and cultivar has it’s own distinct flavor, but think of it as a pre-primed wall. Yes, the base is already there, but the rest is up to you. Just as you add any color or texture to a wall as you wish, flavors and richness can be brought to beans. However you like! Beans are fabulous for taking up other flavors readily, so that they can be personalized and spiced up – or down – to your heart’s content. There are also tons of varieties – from delicate lentils to the sweet butter bean to the lusty blacks – there’s something for every cuisine and palate.



They are also one of the most budget friendly proteins imaginable. For an example how how incredibly cost effective they can be, check out Black Bean and Chicken Stew.



In addition the nutritional benefits of beans are unparalleled. I’ve read several articles stating that they are an acceptable substitute for meat, historically in times of famine. I think they should stand on their own, not just when you’re short on rib-eye. Beans are packed with protein – between 20-25% protein, depending on the type of bean. And I love that it’s fat free protein (although I admit I do drop a good bit of pig in my own soup beans while they cook). Beans contain twice the protein as grains, and three times the protein as rice. Not bad, huh? So don’t think of beans as something you eat if you can’t get meat of some kind. Oh no! Think of them on their glorious own – a beautiful healthy source of protein and some rocking nutritive elements!



Beans are rich in the amino acid methoionine. Grains contain very little to none of this nutrient, which is necessary survival. Grains do contain lysine, which beans lack, so the two together are pretty much a superfood when in combination. Together, beans and grains can make a complete diet. In addition, they are loaded with dietary fiber, starch, iron, potassium, thiamine, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, selenium and molybdenum. The consumption of beans has also been tied to a significant reduction in death from coronary heart disease. So you see beans can be an integral part of a diet leading to a long and healthy life.

Bonus!


The best part? Beans are EASY! In my neck of the woods, soup beans are often one of the first (sometimes only!) dishes someone learns. Usually from a mama or granny of course. A friend of mine, a native of Mexico, told me recently the only dish he knew how to make was his own mother’s black bean soup. There really are only a few tricks and techniques, and the really, REALLY cool part, is that these tricks apply to almost all dried beans. So the variety you have may differ a little, but all the general information will be the same.



If you do manage to come across fresh beans – those that haven’t been dried, then you can treat them as you would any fresh vegetable (although technically – beans are a fruit). Most of the time however, you’ll find them dried. Now – the more recently they’ve been dried, the ‘fresher’ they are – which can be a tad confusing. Fresh dried beans take less time to soak and cook, and they therefore lose fewer of their water soluble nutrients. So when you’re buying dried beans, pick a store with a higher turnover. You’ll know you’re beans haven’t been there long and are more likely fresher. A basic selection of dried beans, pintos, red, kidney, black, lima, navy, black eyed peas and lentils – is available in almost every grocery store. For more unusual or exotic varieties, check out Amazon. They have a huge selection from multiple vendors.



Most dried beans need to be soaked before cooking (lentils are an exception – check packages) There are really two ways to do this. The first is the most traditional; simply soak your beans in cold water overnight. Just cover the beans by a couple inches, let them sit, and in the morning drain them off, rinse, and replace with fresh cooking water.



The second is usually called a quick-soak method. Frankly I rarely remember to soak beans the night before, so I usually do this. Cover them with cold water, bring to a boil, then turn it off and walk away for an hour. Drain, rinse, and then proceed with cooking.



Different bean varieties need different cooking times as well – lentils and black eyed peas are relatively quick. Large beans like cranberry and pintos need longer. The time will vary, much dependent on the ‘freshness’ of your dried beans, but in general plan on 1-4 hours of simmering time.



Most beans do produce a difficult to digest sugar, which is what can cause an issue with gas. However, there are several things that can be done to assist in this. The first is to eat a lot of beans – intestinal microbes will adjust and that solves the problem right there. The soaking methods listed above also help remove these sugars. A little vinegar can also be added to the beans once they have cooked, which helps with the ‘sugar’ issue. Other spices, such as coriander, cumin and anise can be added earlier in the cooking process and these are natural assistants as well.



One final thing to note – acids such as tomato, citrus and vinegars are an amazing compliment to beans. However, don’t add them until the end of the cooking process – when the beans are already tender. The acid will prevent the beans from becoming tender if added before then. Salt however, which many people think does the same thing, is fine. Layer in your seasonings while simmering the beans as you would any other dish, just keeping an eye on the addition of the acids

For more information, links, nutritional information and photos, check out the full article at the link above.