summer food and bean hoarding …. Pico de Gallo White Bean Salad

Even before this pandemic began, I was a bean hoarder. You see, I’ve got a real thing for Rancho Gordo, those utterly delicious heirloom beans. They are fantastic and live up to all the hype. I’ve bought them in stores, I’ve ordered them online, I’ve received them as gifts. I even went to the home base in Napa, CA … and bought more beans. Back in October, I received an email that their Bean Club was open to new subscribers. This rarely happens. There’s a 5,000 person waiting list and somehow, I had the golden ticket. I’d passed on it once, years ago, and wasn’t going to let it happen again. On a whim, I quickly joined and a month later, a box with 6lbs of beautiful beans arrived in the mail. It was glorious. A few months later in the midst of a nationwide lockdown when everyone was clamoring for beans, and these beans in particular, my little whim seemed pretty damn smart.

Smart, sure, but I am now one person with a lot of beans. More than usual. A lot of damn beans that wasn’t depleting at any noticeable rate. They were all so beautiful, unique and wonderful that I hesitated to use them. Added to that hesitation, cooking a full pound bag was overwhelming, especially as a single person in quarantine with no one to share and freezers with no space to spare. I said as much to a friend. She replied with the most obvious of responses … “Just cook the damn things. And cook just what you can eat. Like ¼ bag.” It made me laugh. Just cook the damn things. I was overthinking, again. So I set out on my journey of small batch bean cooking and started to make the smallest of dents in my stash. At least until the next 6lb shipment arrived. Which it did. First world problems, I do realize.

The last few weeks have been HOT. Unbearably hot, so meals are weird. On my last grocery trip, I got a hankering for a fresh salsa – a chunky pico de gallo type of thing – and quickly rounded up the ingredients and got the hell out of the store. Fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro and a bunch of lime juice, all mixed up and devoured with tortilla chips. Delicious. I glanced over at a pot of beans from the last shipment simmering on the stove, really lovely large white lima beans, seasoned simply with salt and a bay leaf. What if I combined the two? Hmmmmm. That could be good.

And there you have it: Pico de Gallo White Bean Salad. It is easy, brightly flavored, an excellent hot weather dish and a pretty great idea. Now I realize you very likely don’t have these lovely limas (but hey, you could order them) but any bean would do. Personally, I prefer cooking my own as canned beans are always mushy and I like a little texture but don’t let that hold you back. Canned beans, drained and rinsed, can work nicely. Do whatever works best for you.

A quick note on Rancho Gordo: they are a really wonderful company and they got hammered during this crisis. Their beans, rightly so, were immensely popular and they’re still trying to catch up with demand. Many beans are out of stock so keep checking or try what’s available. Sign up for the mailing list for the most up to date information or check the retailer list. Maybe there’s a store near you that carries them. And maybe you’ll get an email out of the blue to join the bean club. If you do, jump on it.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. Personally, this was satisfying as it made a small dent in my bean stash. Granted ¼ pound isn’t that much but it’s something and I will take it. In my quest to cook off some beans every week, this was a great accomplishment. The flavors of this dish are bright and it’s perfect hot weather food; filling without being heavy. Delicous. Do it.

eleven years ago: Tart Tips & Tart Dough
ten years ago: Sour Cherry Cobbler, Betty’s Pies exploring Minnesota
nine years ago: Life in Southwest France
eight years ago: Bastille Day Bomb Pops
seven years ago: Rhubarb Beer Jam
six years ago: Guinness Crème Anglaise
five years ago: Slow Roasted Spiced Pineapple
four years ago: Roasted Cherry Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, Blueberries & Cream Popsicles
three years ago: Salmon Rilettes
two years ago: Greek Salad Piadini Sandwiches
last year: Strawberry Mascarpone Galette

PICO DE GALLO WHITE BEAN SALAD 
I prefer to start with good quality dried beans but you can certainly use canned. Substitute two 15oz cans drained and rinsed cannellini beans, folding them into the pico de gallo at the end.

for the beans:
¾ cup/5 ounces dried white cannellini type beans (more or less)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
water

for the pico de gallo:
2 plum tomatoes, cored & seeds removed, cut into ¼”- ½” dice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup finely diced white onion
2 Tablespoons finely diced jalapeño
2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil

1. For the beans: Soak the beans overnight in water to cover with 1 Tablespoon kosher salt.
2. Drain, transfer to a heavy bottomed pot and cover with fresh water.
3. Add 1 bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender. This could take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the freshness and type of the beans. (My soaked limas took 45 minutes.) Check every 30 minutes, adding more hot water to cover if needed.
5. Drain, discard the bay leaf, and let cool completely.
6. For the pico de gallo: season tomatoes with salt and toss to combine.
7. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer or colander set in a bowl and allow to drain for 20-30 minutes. Discard liquid.
8. Combine drained tomatoes with onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice.
9. Add the drained, cooled beans and mix to combine.
10. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if needed.
11. Salad can be stored for up to 3 days, covered, in the fridge.