When we heard that Rancho Gordo was going to put out their very own cookbook, we were excited. Rancho Gordo singlehandedly changed the way we think about beans. Legumes went from mushy meal fill-ins to rich, robust, and mouthwatering stars of the show. We interviewed Rancho Gordo founder Steve Sando a couple years ago for The Kitchn, and his enthusiasm for heirloom beans and other New World foods is infectious; he just seems to be having so much fun with them.
But our love for heirloom beans isn't the only reason this book is notable. This book has one other direct connection to The Kitchn.
Steve Sando's coauthor, Vanessa Barrington, is a former contributor to The Kitchn. We always loved her Bay Area-centric recipes and fresh approach to cooking, and when she moved on to other cookbook projects we were sad to see her go. (You can see all of Vanessa's posts here.)
Together, Steve and Vanessa have written a book that is a splendid vehicle for Rancho Gordo and other heirloom beans and the starring role they were meant to play. It's a colorful book, with photos on nearly every page, and a bright, appealing layout. The book is wider than it is tall, a good shape for laying out on the countertop, and it is a sturdy softback that stays open but won't get too beat up too quickly.
Well, on the other hand, we're not making a promise on that; we plan on having this cookbook open a lot in our kitchen! (And beans can be rather messy food; they splatter and smear. But I'm sure Steve won't mind if we get his book a little dirty.)
All right, the book is pretty, you say (and believe us, it is). But what about the recipes?
Well, let's start with the introduction, written by Thomas Keller. He uses Rancho Gordo beans regularly at The French Laundry and Per Se. He talks about how Rancho Gordo has affected many cooks who have passed through Keller's kitchens; many of them have incorporated the beans into their own restaurant menus.
This isn't difficult, after all, since, as Steve says, you just have to follow the bean when developing recipes. Heirloom beans have a depth of flavor that benefits most from simple recipes and preparation. Steve and Vanessa offer five chapters of recipes, with well-chosen recipes in each. They cover appetizers and snacks, soups, salads, side dishes and main dishes. (No desserts? They must have missed the bean brulee pie from our Bakeoff.)
The book takes the time to cover many bean basics, like how to make a basic pot of beans, how to render lard, good equipment for beans, and many side complements like roasted salsa verde and masa cakes.
This book is an appealing, friendly introduction to beans and New World cuisine, drawing heavily from Latin American cooking with a fresh, sunny California sensibility. For only $15 it's a very worthwhile investment to learn more about beans and some of the most nutritious yet comforting cooking around. We love this book, and we're so glad to see beans get a little more face time. In fact, we like this book so much that we're going to share three recipes from it over the next two weeks, starting with that delicious dish of red beans and polenta pictured above.
So stick around, start a pot of beans, and cook along with us as we focus on beans and Heirloom Beans during Eating Light month.
• Buy Heirloom Beans, $15 at Amazon
Related: Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Food
(Images: Sara Remington. Used by permission of Chronicle Books.)
I have this book and love it too, the recipes and photos are beautiful. However I'd like to add that I've tried both beans sold in bulk and Rancho Gordo beans and there seems to be a big difference. My bulk bin white beans took 4 hours to cook whereas the Rancho Gordo beans I made took only about an hour and a half and were a lot less... well, windy.
view Oven Mitzie's profile
... but where can you buy these beans in New York City? Or is it online only?
view Anokha's profile
It's online only, as far as I know, Anokha. But you can use other brands of heirloom beans, too. We'll cover some sources for these, but they do all tend to be available just through mail order.
view faith's profile
I have been a Rancho Gordo customer for a while now, and I got the book as soon as it was available. I lo-o-ove beans, maybe because my mother always made them since our family (I discovered this only in later life) was quite strapped for cash when we were kids and she had to "make do." Thank goodness for that. I weaned MY daughter on such things as black-eyed peas and corn bread, and she taught her son to love beans.
I am cooling a pot of field peas right now, peas seasoned with allspice and chipotle pepper, and the plan is to serve them with greens over rice, but they'd be great in a burrito or whirred up in the food processor with some grated manchego for a dip.
As for the digestive discomfort. Just start small, eat slowly and your body will adjust. Never have a problem myself. Thank you, thank you so much, Kitchn, for focusing on beans...the little unsung heroes of the kitchen pantry.
view 39520expat's profile
I'm a big fan of Rancho Gordo. My only beef with the book is that the indexing is less than robust. I've looked up specific beans and while they weren't in the index they were in recipes. I'd also like to see alternate beans listed in the recipies because I have my favorites, and I'd like to know if bean X will hold up in recipe Y, etc.
It's a beautiful book though, and worth it if you cook beans at all. One of my favorite things is to have a bowl of beans soaking knowing that they're for dinner.
view talkingcrow's profile
I just bought Rancho Gordo beans today at Marlowe & Daughters (the new butcher shop by Marlowe & Sons and Diner)! So excited to find them locally and am looking forward to finding a yummy recipe for them.
view rachels's profile