Ingredients:
1 Roma Tomato
2 ears of Corn
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1 cup dry Christmas Lima Beans
3+ tbsp Unsalted Butter
3 Fresh Sage Leaves
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:
1. The Night Before – Rinse the lima beans and put them in a bowl covered with 2 cups of cold water.  Cover the bowl and store it in the fridge for 8+ hours.

2. Rinse the beans.

3. Add the beans to a pot of cold water.  Bring the water to a simmer, and cook until tender (likely an hour or longer).

4. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil.  Prepare a small ice water bath.

5. Cut a 1 inch “x” into one end of the tomato.  Add the tomato to the boiling water.

6. After 20 seconds, scoop the tomato out of the water and plunge it into the ice bath.  Once it has cooled, take it out and peel the skin off using the points at the x.  Core & dice the peeled tomato.

7. Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs.

8. Once the beans are tender, remove them from the heat.  Melt the butter in a large saucepan.  Add the onion & sweat it until it starts to soften.

9. Add the tomato & corn, continue to sweat until the corn is almost cooked.

10. Roll the sage leaves and thinly slice them (cut chiffonade).

11. Add the beans and the sage, then cook briefly to meld the flavors.  Taste, season with salt & pepper & serve.

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Believe it or not, there are wrong ways, and the best way to cook bulk dried beans.  Below is an easy and excellent technique.

Soaking and Cooking Dry Beans

1. Rinse the dry beans.
2. Cover with 2x cold water. Cover and put in fridge for at least 8 hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Rinse again.
4. Put in pot with cold water. Or, for more flavor, use a mixture of 25% cold stock and 75% cold water with a bouquet garni.

5. Slowly bring to a low simmer.  Simmer gently for 45 minutes, or until beans are tender.

6. Strain.

Check out our Cassoulet recipe and our Sausage, Escarole, and White Bean soup recipe for suggestions for how to pair beans with our game sausage.

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Basic Culinary Techniques

Lentils are an affordable, delicious, and incredibly nutritious food and store very well in the pantry.  As they are 26% protein and can be combined with rice or other grains to create a plant-based complete protein meal, vegetarians and vegans (who’d want to replace the chicken stock used below with vegetable stock) should definately consider adding these old-world wonders to their diet.

Like our previous post about cooking rice using the pilaf method, this post is merely a suggested improvement to the basic method for cooking rice and lentils: boiling them until tender.  This basic recipe will work for all of our bulk lentils, with the amount of chicken stock, cooking time, and resulting amount of food varying depending on the lentil variety used (see product descriptions for specific information on each lentil type).

Ingredients
½ cup onion finely diced
¼ cup leek finely diced
¼ cup carrot finely diced
2 cups lentils (beluga lentils depicted)
~ 2 pints chicken stock or broth
Butter (optional), lemon juice, salt and pepper to season at the end

1.  Heat oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and sweat it for a minute or two, then add carrot and sweat for a minute or two, followed by the leek. 

2.  Add the lentils, and stir to coat them with the oil. 

3.  Turn up the heat and pour in the stock.  Bring the stock to a simmer.

4.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, let cook until the lentils are tender.

We used black beluga lentils for these photos, but if you wanted a different color on your plate you could use classic French green lentils, brown Spanish pardina lentils (which also have a nutty flavor), or fast-cooking red chief lentils.

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Not enough time for a cassoulet?  Here’s a very simple, yet hearty dish that really takes advantage of the complex flavors found in our game sausages.

 
Ingredients:

A few tablespoons of butter
Fresh sage leaves
Cooked White Beans (we recommend European Soldier Beans)
Venison Sausage or rabbit sausage

Cooking Instructions:
1. Bring the butter to medium-high heat in a saute pan.

2. Once the butter browns, add in the sage.

3. Sizzle the sage in the butter for a minute or two.
4. Add the cooked beans and toss to coat beans with butter and sage.

5. Top with a piece or two of grilled venison sausage or rabbit sausage. Serve.

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Drink Pairings: Oregon Pinot Noir or Chateauneuf du Pape

Ingredients:          Makes 10 Servings
1 1/2lbs Antelope Stew Meat  (could substitute Elk Stew Meat)
All Purpose Flour
1 3/4 quarts Beef Stock
15oz can of Cannelini Beans (could substitute Great Northern Beans or another white bean)
¾ cup Leek, chopped
1 Turnip, medium diced
1 cup Onion, chopped
½ cup White Wine
2 sprigs Fresh Oregano
Salt & Pepper
Arugula or Micro Arugula for garnish (optional)

Directions 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Rinse and dry the cubes of stew meat.  Season them with salt and pepper, then dust them with the flour.

3. Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat.

4. Add the meat cubes, keeping them in a single layer, and sear them two sides.  You’ll likely have to do this in several batches.  Take care not to let the fond on the bottom of the pan burn.

5. Remove the meat cubes from the pan & reserve.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then reduce the wine until it’s almost gone.

6. Add the onion and sweat it until soft and translucent.

7. Add the turnip and leek, continuing to sweat until all the vegetables until tender.  Then add the beef stock, seared antelope meat, oregano and drained beans.

8. Cover and move to the oven to stew until the meat is tender (about an hour).

9. Garnish with arugula if desired & serve.

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This is a very hearty, entrée-style soup that’s perfect for warming up on a cold day.

Ingredients

1 lb. European Soldier Beans or Great Northern Beans
12 oz. wild boar sausage, cut in ½ inch slices
3 cloves garlic, minced.
2 heads escarole (substitutes: endive, Treviso, raddichio)
3 quarts chicken stock (if using store-bought, look for the lowest salt content)
1 quart water
1 can (24 oz) crushed tomatoes
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano
1 bay leaf
½ tablespoon whole Tellicherry peppercorns
3 whole cloves
5 parsley stems
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
olive oil for saute and garnish

Cooking the Beans

1. Rinse beans. Put in container with fresh water, cover and put in your fridge for at least 8 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. Rinse beans once more after they have been soaked.
2. To a pot, add the beans, cold water to cover by 2 inches and a bouquet garni of 1 bay leaf, ½ tablespoon peppercorn, 3 whole cloves, 5 parsley stems and 3 sprigs of thyme.
3. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender.
4. Drain beans and discard the bouquet garni.
   

For the Soup

1. Bring a sauté pan to medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the sausage on all sides. Remove the sausage from pan.
   
2. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan. Saute until the aroma is released.
3. Add chopped escarole. Saute until wilted.
   
4. Add beans, browned game sausage, stock and 1 quart water.
   
5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add whole parsley leaves, crushed (and drained) tomatoes and cheese.
   
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve. Garnish with a drizzle of a nice extra virgin olive oil and some more grated cheese.
   

This recipe calls for wild boar sausages, but just about any variety of game meat sausage will do.

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This play on black bean cakes uses Yellow Eye Stubens instead of the traditional Black Turtle beans.  They’re crispy on the outside and warm, creamy and comforting on the inside with a slight crunch from the raw onion.  The refreshing, crisp bite of the tzatziki sauce brightens them up.

Drink Pairings: Assyrtiko Greek White Wine or Xinomavro Greek Red Wine

Ingredients: (Makes 4 Appetizer/Side Servings)
½ to1 cup dry Yellow Eye Stuben Beans
1 Egg
2 tsp Coriander, ground
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
¼ cup Onions, minced
2 tbsp Cornmeal, plus more for dredging
Salt to taste
Olive Oil (not extra virgin)

Plus: Tzatziki Sauce

Directions:

1. Soak the beans overnight in water & rinse them off.

2. Add them to a pot of fresh water and cover, bring the water to a boil for three minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 60-90 minutes (until tender).

3. Strain the beans.

4. Mash the beans with the onion, parsley, garlic, coriander, cornmeal, salt and egg to form a paste.

5. Form the paste into small cakes and dredge them in the extra cornmeal to coat.

6. Heat ¼th of an inch of olive oil in a pan to pan-fry the bean cakes.

7. Pan fry the bean cakes on each side until a brown crust develops.

8. Drain the finished cakes on paper towels to collect excess oil.

9. Serve the cakes with the tzatziki sauce on the side.

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While you can simply use a basic bean cooking method to prepare beans, this recipe adds flavor and moisture by slowly reducing chicken stock down to a flavorful sauce.

Ingredients: (Makes 6 Servings)
½-1 cups dry Stuben Yellow Eye Beans (could substitute Flageolets, Scarlet Runner Beans, or Rice Beans, adjusting cooking time in step 2)
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 cup Chicken Stock
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Soak the beans overnight in water & rinse them off.

2.  Add them to a pot of fresh water and cover, bring the water to a boil for three minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 60-90 minutes (until tender).

3.  Strain the beans.

4.  Sweat the shallots in olive oil in a pot until translucent.

5.  Add the sprigs of thyme and the cooked beans.  Deglaze with the chicken stock.

6.  Bring the stock to a simmer, and cook until the chicken stock has reduced to a sauce-like consistency.

7.  Season with salt & pepper.  Serve.

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This is a version of this classic French dish that has been adapted for home chefs.  A traditional cassoulet is a 2-day process, because you have to confit the duck legs, etc. This version still has plenty of steps, but you can do it at home in about four hours. The result is a rich, delicious comfort food that’s more than worth all that work.

Ingredients
1.5 lbs. dried Flageolet beans (substitute: European soldier beans, great northern beans or other white bean)
12 oz. Wild boar sausage (or substitute).
12 oz. Duck sausage (or substitute).
1.75 lbs. duck confit legs (including bones).
8 cups water
2 cups chicken stock (or beef for a darker, richer cassoulet)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups breadcrumbs
2 cups of chopped onions
6 tablespoons minced garlic
1 bay leaf
½ tablespoon Tellicherry peppercorns
3 whole cloves
5 parsley stems
3 sprigs fresh thyme
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
Leek leaf or cheesecloth for bouquet garni

Remove duck leg meat from the bone. Reserve bones for use in boiling the beans.

Make a Bouquet Garni
Combine 1 bay leaf, ½ tablespoon peppercorns, 3 whole cloves, 5 parsley stems and 3 sprigs of thyme. Wrap in cheesecloth or a leek leaf and tie off with butcher’s twine.

Cook the Beans
1. Rinse beans. Cover and put in fridge in water for at least 8 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. Rinse beans once more after they have been soaked.

2. Make cooking liquid for the beans. Use 2 cups stock and 8 cups water. Add to this tomato paste, chopped onions, 4 tablespoons garlic, a bouquet garni of 1 bay leaf, ½ tablespoon peppercorns, 3 whole cloves, 5 parsley stems and 3 sprigs of thyme. Also add bones from the finished duck confit.

3. Get to a rolling boil and boil the liquid for about 2 minutes to incorporate all ingredients.
4. Add soaked flageolet beans and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender.

5. Once tender, add the crushed tomatoes and continue simmering for about 15 minutes.

6. Drain beans and reserve liquid (to be reduced).

7. Remove bones and boquet garni from the beans. 

Cook the Duck Confit
1. Put duck leg meat in a sauté pan or dutch oven. Add ¼ cup water and bring to a simmer. Basically, you want to evaporate the water off…this is a technique to strip the fat from the meat. Once the water evaporates, the fat starts cooking. And, that is what is going to brown the meat and crisp the skin. Depending on the size of your sauté pan, you may need to brown the duck meat in batches.

2. Once the meat is browned, set it aside. Continue cooking the skin until it is really crispy. Once crispy, set the skin aside. The skin will be used in the topping.

Cook the Sausage
1. Once the duck is finished browning, add inch thick slices of sausage to the remaining duck fat.
2. Brown the sausage, in batches if necessary.

3. Remove the sausage from pan and add to reserved crisped duck confit meat.

For the Breadcrumb topping
1. Add 2 tablespoons garlic to the pan and sauté until the aroma is released.

2. Add breadcrumbs and stir as breadcrumbs toast until lightly golden.

3. Remove breadcrumbs from heat. Add to the breadcrumbs the crisped duck skin, ½ cup chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce the braising liquid
If the braising liquid is thin, reduce it until it can coat the back of a spoon (this stage is called nappe in French cuisine). This is not always necessary. To reduce the liquid, simply bring to a simmer and allow liquid to slowly evaporate.

Assembly
1. Add the reduced braising liquid to the beans, sausage and duck meat. Mix, taste, and adjust seasoning.

2.Fill a baking dish 2/3rds of the way with this mixture.

3. Top with ¼ inch of of the breadcrumb topping.

4. Bake at 350 degrees to crisp the breadcrumbs and heat the cassoulet all the way through.

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Thanks to Becca who takes care of our plants for the inspiration for this recipe (If you are in Seattle and want to hire someone with a green thumb to make your life lusher, Becca is your fertility goddess.  Just email me and I’ll give you her info).

I am presenting this recipe backwards.  What you see here on top of the crackers is white bean puree, steamed and chopped kale, a drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of flor de sal.

I’m glad I got that out of the way, because now the only thing I need to describe is how I made the bean puree.  So, here’s how:

1) Soak and cook the beans.  I started with about 2 cups of dried cannelini beans.  Reserve a couple cups of the cooking water for later use. 

2) Caramelize some onions.  Do a bunch of onions so that you have lots left over for other dishes.  I used about  a cup of caramelized onions for this dish.

3) Saute some chopped carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms.  Any kind of mushrooms will do.  I used reconstituted dried shitake because that is what I had on hand.  You want to end up with about a cup and a half of sauteed vegetables.

4) Put the beans and vegetables in the food processor.  Think hummus.  Process it.  If it is dry, add olive oil or the reserved cooking water until you get to the right consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add some vinegar or lemon juice to get just a subtle bite of acidity.  I used about 1/2 tablespoon of champagne vinegar.

Build the crackers, as described above.

If you want a shopping list, here it is:

2 cups dried beans

2 onions

3 carrots

3 celery stalks

3 bulbs garlic

1 handful of dried or fresh mushrooms

Olive oil

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Vinegar of your choice

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