Thursday, May 19, 2011

Heirloom Beans with Leeks


These beans take some time, but the end result is well worth it. I love how the subtle flavor of the leeks shines through. & bacon! The beans in our case were a bit overcooked, but smacking of nutty bean flavor.

1) Soak overnight two cups of dried Great Northern Beans (or other medium dried beans). Drain.

2) Add fresh water to cover, 1 bay leaf, & 1 tsp salt & bring to a boil. Simmer covered just until tender 20-45 minutes.

3) Fry up 2-4 slices of thick cut bacon. Drain on a paper towel.

4) Saute 6 cups of thinly sliced leeks in the pan for ten minutes. (or for healthier & more flavorful version remove the bacon grease & use olive oil.)

5) Crumble in the bacon & add the beans. Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar & mix well.

(I forgot the vinegar at first & then added it. It really does make a huge difference in the overall flavor of the dish. It highlights the other flavors & sits nicely in the background.)

The recipe recommended serving with cornbread, so we did! Good thing, too.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

1 comment:

  1. Beans, leaks and bacon . . . there is no going wrong there!! Sounds great :)

    ReplyDelete