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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Cooking -> Beans
 On the Trail of the Ancient Beans
By Niki Hayden
When archaeologists discovered dried beans stored in a pottery bowl dating to an Anasazi dig, it clinched their theory. Beans were a staple in the
diet of those ancient people who once inhabited Mesa Verde. "I’ve seen
those small brown beans," says agricultural extension agent Dan Fernandez,
of Dolores County in the Four Corners area of Colorado, "and while they
wouldn’t have viability to germinate now, they’re an example of why beans
grow so well around here today." Easy to grow, easy to store, packed with
protein: the perfect desert food.
Dolores County is home to pinto, Anasazi and bolita beans. Dry, hot weather
with little rainfall kills off most crops, but not these hardy legumes. Their
deep root system saves them from drought. Dan has seen a summer with scant rainfall and yet there’s nearly always a harvest of beans. That may explain
why the Anasazi were able to withstand arid summers and continue to flourish for
thousands of years.
Certainly, the last two summers tested the merits of beans. Denise Pribble,
manager of Adobe Milling in Dove Creek, which cleans, packages and sells beans
for local farmers, says a drought has plagued the Four Corners region for two
years. "Even weeds on the sides of the roads died. But those little beans
grew. The beans struggled with no moisture and took longer to cook. You’d have
one big bean on an entire bush. This year we’re having a good winter with snow
but we’ll need a couple of good winters to catch up."
Many of the bean farmers in Dolores County are dry-land farmers—they depend
solely on the rainfall, not irrigation. Denise favors dry-land beans because she
believes they have a sweeter, more intense flavor. But farming without
irrigation is a gamble requiring hundreds of acres just to break even. Dan says
a typical harvest of 100 pounds of beans brings $23.
So a few local bean farmers are experimenting with heirloom varieties: Zuni
gold, mortgage lifters and riozape beans. Most come from the Native Seed Search,
a seed conservation bank in Tucson, Arizona.
 Saving The Old Beans
Director of Conservation, Suzanne Nelson, says the organization collects seed
from Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. They also contribute to studies of
diabetes in the Native American tribes of the area. She believes that beans, so predominant in the
ancient diet, may be part of diabetes prevention. She rattles off some of the ancient
beans they store: Yoeme purple stringbeans, Tohono O’odham pink bean, Four
Corners Gold and Maicoba from Mexico.
The bolita bean probably qualifies as an heirloom variety as much as the
Anasazi. Old-timers believe Spanish settlers brought the bean into Colorado.
Bolitas absorb flavors, which lend them to mix with chilies and garlic. Today,
Denise says only the older residents of Spanish ancestry from towns like San Luis recognize the bean.
"I have little old ladies from San Luis pull in here. They take one look at
the bolitas and tears come to their eyes. ‘I haven’t seen this since
childhood,’ they tell me."
Food historians recognize that beans of all kinds form the basis for protein
around the world. Now that we know more about nutrition, beans weigh in as a
solid benefit to a healthy diet. And inventive cooks have altered recipes to
include beans so that they’re integrated into a meal that’s more easily
digestible rather than overwhelming.
What’s confounding most contemporary home cooks is the time it takes to
cook beans. Open a can and it’s easy. Cook them from scratch and it takes the
better part of a day.
 Tackling the Dried Beans
But here are a few good reasons to cook beans at home. You’ll be able to
try more kinds, which are often available only dried. Anasazi beans won’t be
found in a can. And you can create your own mixes of beans. One advantage to a
pot of cooked beans is that it can be divided into smaller portions and frozen.
When you need only a small amount, remove them from the freezer and allow
them to thaw, or microwave them for immediate use.
Denise recommends a Crock-Pot for cooking Anasazi beans. She doesn’t
presoak the beans. Instead, she fills enough water to cover the beans, adds a
ham hock, garlic clove and chopped onion. The beans cook on low heat overnight and
part of the next day. Denise says there’s always a pot in the office cooking for
any hungry person who wanders by. Beans with greens and cornbread are
complements in her part of the world.
"There was a time when a lot of people didn’t eat beans," Denise
says. "And now the world has gone crazy for beans. They’re supposed to
lower cholesterol, so the American Heart Association is pushing beans. It’s a
good way to get protein, and even calcium, without the fat in meats. And a lot
of people have become vegetarian."
Helpful websites:
www.anasazibeans.com for the Adobe Milling store in Dove Creek, Colorado
www.nativeseeds.org for the seed bank in Tucson, Arizona
Recipes by Front Range Living
Pinto or Anasazi Beans With Corn Timbale
To cook the beans:
2 pounds of dried pinto or Anasazi beans should soak overnight in water or
use the Crock-Pot method. If you soak overnight: In
the morning, lift the swollen beans out of the water and place in a six quartz
saucepan. Cover with water and simmer until the beans are tender.
Roast separately:
- One 28-ounce can of tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 fresh jalapeno peppers cut in half with stems and seeds removed
- 1 sweet bell pepper cut in half with stems and seeds removed
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Lift tomatoes out of their juice and reserve the liquid. Combine tomatoes,
onions, jalapenos, garlic and olive oil in a roasting dish. Roast 45 minutes in
a 350-degree oven, or until the edges of the peppers and onions begin to
caramelize in the oil. Remove from the pan, add the reserved juice and place
into a blender. Blend thoroughly. Add immediately to the beans. Salt and pepper
to taste. This finishes the beans and can be served as a bean soup. Play with
the recipe by adding more chilies to your taste, or vary the chilies with mild
green chilies. Keep the beans on a slow simmer while you fix the timbales.
Corn Timbale
- 4 cups of fresh or frozen corn
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups cream or milk
- 1 roasted, peeled and diced sweet red pepper
- ½ onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon butter
- ½ cup of shredded asiago or cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Beat four eggs with the two cups of cream. Set aside. Sauté the fresh or
frozen corn kernels and the diced onion in the olive oil. Butter four ramekins
well and pat one-fourth of the diced red pepper into the bottom of each
ramekins. Mix the corn and onions with the eggs and cream mixture. Pour
one-fourth of the mixture into each of the four ramekins. Sprinkle shredded
asiago or cheddar cheese on top. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan that has a
shallow amount of water. The water should come up to half the height of the
ramekins. Bake for 35 minutes in a 350-degree oven. When the ramekins are done
(they can be pieced with a toothpick, which comes out clean), turn them out by
dragging a butter knife around the interior edges of the ramekin bowls. The
timbale will plop out. Place one timbale in the center of a ladle of pinto beans
on a plate.
Bean and Corn Enchiladas
Enchilada Sauce
- 2 Tbs. canola oil or olive oil
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 Tbs. red chili powder
- 2 cups tomato juice, juice from a large can of tomatoes is fine
- salt and pepper to taste
Enchiladas
- 8 corn tortillas
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 cup cooked pinto or Anasazi beans
- 2 roasted green Anaheim chilies, chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn
- 1 cup grated mild fresh Mexican, cheddar or jack cheese
To make the sauce, add the oil and flour to a heavy saucepan. Cook over
medium heat until blended. Add the garlic and chili powder, stir into the flour
mixture. Slowly pour in the tomato juice and stir until all is blended. The
sauce should not be thick, but rather the consistency of light cream, so add
water if needed.
In another heavy skillet, add the ¼ cup of canola oil. On medium heat,
quickly cook each tortilla until it is limp. Remove it from the heat before it
turns crisp. Lay the tortilla on paper towels, place a spoonful of beans, corn,
onions and chopped chilies on the tortilla and roll it up. Place a little sauce
on the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Place each enchilada with the seam
underneath. Pour the sauce over all the enchiladas, sprinkle with cheese and
heat in a 350-degree oven only until the cheese melts and the enchiladas are
hot. Serves four.
Ansazi or Pintos in a Poblano Stew
- 4 cups cooked Anasazi or pinto beans
- 2 tbs. olive or canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 roasted Poblano pepper, skinned and chopped (a Poblano is a green ancho
chile)
- salt and pepper to taste.
- a mild Mexican cheese or jack, shredded
Place beans in a heavy saucepan. In a skillet, heat the oil on medium and
sweat the onion and garlic, add the tomatoes and poblano pepper. When all have
stewed, add to the beans. Sprinkle the cheese when serving. Serve with
cornbread.
Cornbread Studded with Corn
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 egg
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 3/4 cups cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch iron
skillet with oil and place in the oven to heat it up. Combine the egg, buttermilk and
corn. Separately, combine the cornmeal, soda, baking powder and salt. Fold the
dry ingredients into the wet, forming a batter. Take the skillet out of the oven
and pour in the batter. It will make a sizzling sound. Place it immediately back
into the oven and bake 20 minutes. Serves about eight.
Spicy Bean Patties
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
- 2 Anaheim or mild green chilies roasted, or 1/2 cup of canned roasted
green chilies
- 2 cans of 15 ounce pinto or black beans, or 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans,
both drained of liquid
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, crisp from an artisan loaf
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup olive or canola oil to slightly fry the patties
In the 2 tablespoons of olive or canola oil, sauté the garlic and onions
until limp. Add them to the beans, mild green chilies, eggs and bread crumbs.
Mix well and mash the mixture a bit. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet on medium
heat. Form the bean mixture into patties, dredge in cornmeal and pan fry until
the outside is crisp and the inside cooked through. Remove from the pan and
serve with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, thinly sliced iceberg lettuce, black
olives and avocado wedges.
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