I've been cooking my beans in a big fat clay pot that sits all day on the lowest possible flame on the back of my stove. Once and a while a little burbly bubble pops up and breaks the surface and slowly, slowly the beans swell and grow creamy. They're flavored with salt and olive oil and a little onion, maybe a bay leaf if I remember or a whole dried chili if that seems appropriate.
I like the solid, diligent, earthy nature of this pot of beans. How it doesn't require much fuss and bother, no bam and slam or showing off. No cheeky attitude or high maintenance flimflam. Just an occasional stir or splash of water, the thick solid walls of the clay holding firm as the alchemy of heat and moisture and time work their magic inside.
This is a very old way of providing sustenance, this pot of beans. People have been keeping an eye on that quiet burble for a long time now and hopefully, if we do things right, will continue to do so well into the future. It's a most satisfying and nourishing and comforting activity. I try to do this once a week, making up enough beans for the entire week ahead, and I highly recommend that you do, too.
If your life is structured such that you cannot be at home, keeping even the most occasional eye on a pot of beans, or if perhaps you find the whole notion a little too romantic, then a crock pot will do. Or a regular pot, overnight in a very low oven. This practice of making up a pot of beans is not afraid of modern convenience and should not be avoided because of time or philosophy.
But still, I urge you to find something in your life that encourages less doing and more being, something that nourishes the rounded, receptive space within. All day long we deal with the outer shell of things, the constructed forms of schedules and outward appearances and the striving that comes with their maintenance. But remember that it's the magic of the internal processes that ultimately makes life worthwhile, that softens us and makes us tender and available enough so that we can receive what we need. So that we can be sweet and steady, toothsome and useful. So that we can know the fullness and appreciate the emptiness that allows it, and see them as one thing.
Related: Weekend Meditation: Sucking on Chocolate and Other Pastimes
(Image: Dana Velden)
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It seems that the busier my life becomes, the more I have to intentionally find ways to slow myself down. The pot of beans, or taking the long way on my walk home, or making myself stop at the bookstore on the way to browse and get lost in the shelves.
If I don't take care and do these things myself, often my body will do it for me by illness or cold or something that forces me to slow down.
My very lovely rancho gordo beans were soaking overnight and are now under a gentle heat. Most assuredly I will be enjoying them over the next week.
Can anyone recommend a clay pot? I make beans all the time, but never with a clay pot and now that I've read this post I feel like I've been missing out on something special.
This is such a refreshing read, perfect for a lazy Sunday morning that is quickly dissolving into a moderately busy Sunday afternoon.
A couple of weekends ago I made a big pot of split pea soup and had a similar satisfied all-day reverie. Soup requires more chopping and such, and I burst into sobs for a while while slicing up the onion, but after that it's just a lot of occasional monitoring and stirring as everything gradually transforms. No beautiful clay pot, either: a crock pot, and a rice cooker. I made way too much, but we got two wonderful meals out of it and leftovers for the next week.
I'm no cook. I, too, am in a rat race every day, working and parenting and husbanding. For me, a pot of slow cooking stuff is indeed magical.
what an inspiring post! I am with mandydavis above! very interested in the clay pot! so nice! thank you for this wonderful post!
Hi Everyone!
Yes, clay pots are wonderful vessels for cooking!
Try Bram for an amazing collection. They are located in Sonoma, California but have a great webshop, too.
The pot pictured above, which I reviewed here, is La Chamba. Faith also wrote a more practical guide to cooking beans in a clay pot that features La Chamba here. Also from Faith, more about clay pot cooking in general here.
Thanks Dana! It occurred to me as I was reading your response, that I have a Donabe. Could I use it for cooking beans and would it have the same effect as your clay pot? Do you know much about the Donabe pot, and if so would you consider writing a post on it and including a recipe or two?
mandydavis: From what I know about donabe pots, they could definitely be used for cooking beans on a flame. But I don't own one and have never used one, so I'm not an expert. I'll run it by the other Kitchn writers and see if anyone is able to to pick this up.
Awesome! Thanks again.
I love the simplicity and elegance of a crock-pot made meal. Dump in whatever during your morning prep and forget about it all day. The smell slowly takes over your kitchen as all the ingredients meld together. My wife and I do chicken, chili, beans, pork loin, even bbq brisket this way. You can't go wrong and it's a wonderful way to relax the day away and not worry about dinner until you are ready to eat. It's not as earthy as utilizing a clay pot, but there is less worry about burning things because you put the flame on too high or not sure about the heat range of your electric stove.
I have a donabe pot and I use it for all kinds of things--cooking rice, sauteing onions and also cooking beans. It's fine on top of the soive though I've been told one shouldn't put a donabe pot in the oven.