A LOVE AFFAIR WITH BEANS

I owe a wooing Spaniard for teaching me some primal lessons about dried beans. I suppose he figured extreme measures were in order after our first conversation on a plane from Barcelona, when I described two weeks zigzagging across Spain with a friend, eating and drinking all the local treasures we could find--ham that came from acorn-fed pigs, smooth wood-aged apple brandy distilled by Basques. Flowers would not do for this hungry woman. Catalonia’s finest bean might.

A week later he appeared with mongetes de Viladrau, small, ordinary-looking white beans harvested in the fall north of Barcelona. I was suprised when he told me that they would need no soaking, so I put them in water to cook, forgoing the usual seasonings so as not to obscure their flavor. Astonishingly, they cooked in less than 25 minutes. I dressed them with extra-1986622055 I still dream of those mongetes and blame them for blinding me to the dullness of this staid businessman with whom, it turned out, I had little in common. I somehow assumed that his recognition of the greatness of those beans meant that he must possess a similar brilliance.

B197054474474031959819192300711700885024at markets.

The mongetes also taught me that it is worth searching out a source for fresh dried beans, and that there are many types beyond the generic black, red and pinto. Each has its ow1847616360to the Italian Borlotto that is sweet and meaty; Rattlesnake, a rich, wine-brown speckled bean whose pods are twisted like a snake; and white Aztec, said to have been cultivated by both the Aztecs of Mexico and the Anasazi of the Southwestern United States. I’ve found interesting v163488803719199050562003399784friends.

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Warm Bean Salad With Fresh Herbs and Olives

Serves 4

1/2 pound flageolet or small white beans such as cannellini, navy, baby limas, white emergo, white Aztec

1 shallot, peeled and stuck with 2 cloves

1 bay leaf

3-4 thyme sprigs

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dressing:

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fruity extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

1/3 cup bean-cooking liquid or chicken broth

1/2 cup green olives such as picholine or Barese, pitted and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

3-4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place beans, shallot, bay leaf and thyme sprigs in large saucepan and cover with water by 11/2 inches. Bring to boil over moderate heat, then reduce heat to low. Cook beans until tender but not mushy, about 40 minutes. Halfway through cooking, stir in salt. Drain beans, reservin1730162991 To make dressing, combine olive oil and garlic in medium nonstick skillet over low heat. Cover and cook until garlic is soft, about 3 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to moderate and add ros17016671861931501934 *

Food stylist: Christine Anthony-Masterson