A Taste of Warmer Weather

It may not seem like it on these rainy, dripping spring days, but good weather is just around the corner. These beans from contributor Jim Dixon of RealGoodFood would be just the ticket with any grilled food, but would also warm up a cold spring day simmering in the oven and then again when they hit the belly.

I grilled burgers for some of my favorite moms last week, and to go with them I wanted some beans with a little more barbecue-y flavor than plain red beans I make most of the time. Here’s what I came up with:

Backyard Barbecue Beans

Cook about a pound of the Haricot Farms small red beans (rojo chiquitos) as usual: combine with water to cover, healthy pinch of sea salt, very healthy glug of extra virgin olive, bake covered at 200° until done (2-3 hours), adding more water if necessary to keep them barely covered. Or soak for a few hours, change the water, and simmer with salt and oil until done.

Chop an onion, 1-2 celery stalks, and a carrot into small dice (roughly same size as beans). Cook in olive oil for about 10 minutes, then add about a quarter cup Katz Gravenstein Apple Cider Vinegar, a cup of ground or pureed canned tomatoes, and about a quarter cup real maple syrup. Let this cook for 15-20 minutes, then add the cooked beans and their liquid. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, longer if it needs to cook down.

These are good on their own, but I like them over Kokuho Rose brown rice.