Beans, beans the magical fruit… But wait, beans aren’t fruit are they? Well, kind of. They are a legume, which are often considered a vegetable but a legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seed of such a plant. Legumes include beans, peas, lentils, and even nuts.
More specifically beans were the main focus of the 2015 West Of Cookbook, with a couple peas thrown in for good measure. Unlike meat-based proteins, beans are naturally low in fat, are free of saturated fat and trans-fat, and are a cholesterol-free source of protein. Research shows that a diet including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease. So beans really are the magical fruit.
For this special issue, 10 West Ashley chefs and restaurateurs spilled the beans on some of their favorite bean recipes. They coved red beans, white beans, green beans, and black beans. There are also a can’t miss recipes for baked beans, butter beans, and a Tex-Mex twist on pinto beans. Save this issue, because each one of these recipes are worth making.
Black Bean Benedict
recipe courtesy of Three Little Birds Café
Ingredients
• 1 Can of Black Beans
• ¼ Cup of Red Onion (finely diced)
• ¼ Cup of Green and Red Pepper (finely diced)
• 2 TB chopped Cilantro
• 1 tsp Cumin
• Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
1. Puree ½ of Black Beans
2. Add puree to whole black beans, mix
3. Combine onion, pepper, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper with black bean mixture
4. Mix well
5. Form small cakes (2 ounces)
6. Sear until golden
For Benedict:
1. Top two black beans cakes each with a poached egg.
2. Top eggs with salsa Verde and sour cream, garnish with chopped cilantro
This recipe was shared by Meredith Satterwhite, co-owner of Three Little Birds Café, located at 65 Windermere Blvd. in the South Windermere Shopping Center. (843) 225-3065 and www.threelittlebirdscafe.com.
Baked Beans
recipe courtesy of The Glass Onion
Ingredients
• 1-quart cannellini beans
• 3 ounces bacon, chopped
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1-cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1-cup chopped celery
• 1-quart ham hock stock or canned chicken broth
• 1-quart water
• 1 ½ cups ketchup
• ¼ cup Creole mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Crystal hot sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
Directions
1. Combine beans and water to cover in a large bowl or storage container
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Drain on the following day.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat until fat is rendered
6. Add onions, bell pepper and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
7. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
8. Cover and bake until beans are tender, about 2 hours.
This recipe was shared by Chris Stewart, owner and head chef at The Glass Onion, located at 1219 Savannah Hwy. (843) 225-1717 and www.ilovetheglassonion.com.
Southern Butter Beans
recipe courtesy of The Mason Jar By Fatboys
Ingredients
• 10 cups water
• 6 cups butterbeans (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 Tbsp seasoning salt
• ¼-cup ham stock or bacon drippings
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ¼-cup apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Add beans to water and bring to a boil.
2. Boil for 2 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and add all other ingredients.
4. Cook 45 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!
This recipe was shared by Laura Black of The Mason Jar By Fatboys, located at 2487 Ashley River Road. (843) 203-3290 and www.themasonjarbyfatboys.com.
Red Beans
recipe courtesy of Fiery Ron’s Home Team BBQ
Serves 8-12
Ingredients
• 1-pound dried Red Beans
• 1/2 cup Tasso ham
• ½-pound smoked sausage
• 1-ounce bacon fat
• 1 1/2 medium white onion med dice
• ¾-cup celery med dice
• ¾-cup bell peppers med dice
• 3 Tbsp garlic minced
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 Qt cooking liquid (pork, chx, veg stock etc)
• ¼-cup parsley fine chopped
• ¼-cup thyme fine chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Soak beans in water at least 8 hours.
2. Sweat onions in bacon fat on med high heat 3 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add peppers and celery, season with salt and pepper.
4. Sweat another 3 minutes
5. Add garlic and bay leaves, sweat 1 minute
6. Add beans, sausage, ham, cayenne and stock
7. Bring to slow boil, reduce heat to low
8. Cook on low/simmer until beans are tender, season with salt and pepper.
9. Remove one cup cooked beans and puree them.
10. Add the puree mix to the pot for thicker dish.
11. Add herbs. Simmer 5 minutes
12. Season again, if necessary, with salt and pepper.
13. Serve hot, over white rice. Garnish with green onions.
This recipe was shared by Madison Ruckel, chef at Fiery Ron’s Home Team BBQ, located at 1205 Ashley River Road. (843) 225-7427 and www.hometeambbq.com.
Drunken Borracho Beans
recipe courtesy of The Taco Spot
Serves 8
Ingredients
• 12-ounce dark/amber beer (like a Negro Modelo)
• 1-pound dried pintos — sorted, broken ones discarded
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-pound bacon — cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 onion — rough chopped
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 8-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 jalapeños, chopped
• salt & pepper
• Cilantro
Directions
1. Rinse beans till clear.
2. Add in stockpot with enough salted water to cover the beans
3. Add beer & garlic.
4. Reduce to 1-inch above beans
5. Add can of crushed tomatoes
6. In a sautée pan, cook bacon, remove from pan
7. Add onions, tomatoes, jalapeños can of chipotles, salt, pepper
8. Cook and deglaze pan with one cup cooking liquid
9. reduce, add to stock pot and cook on low,
10. Simmer for six hours, stirring occasionally
11. Serve with chopped cilantro
The recipe was shared by Jason Vaughn, co-owner and head taco dealer at The Taco Spot, located at 1301 Ashley River Road843) 225-7426 and www.thetacospot.com.
Chickpea Salad a.k.a. Hummus Deconstructed
recipe courtesy of Verde
Ingredients
• Romaine, chopped
• Chickpeas
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Feta Cheese
• Pita Chips
• Lemon Tahini Dressing (recipe below)
• Fresh Lemon Squeeze
Directions
1. Mix romaine, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, and pita chips in a bowl.
2. Add lemon tahini dressing to desired taste. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Lemon Tahini Dressing (yields 1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt
• 2 Tbsp Tahini
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp Greek Seasoning
• 1 tsp chives, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp water
• ½ cup olive oil
Directions
1. Whisk all ingredients except oil together in a bowl until combined.
2. Continue whisking while slowly adding in olive oil until the dressing is thickened.
3. Store unused dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This recipe was shared by Jennifer Ferrebee, owner of Verde, which will be opening soon at 13 Magnolia Road • (843) 579.2884 and www.eatatverde.com.
Smoked Green Beans
recipe courtesy of Swig & Swine
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
• 1-pound fresh green beans
• 1-cup julienned yellow onion
• ¼-pound smoked pork belly (you can substitute thick slab bacon )
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
Directions
1. Blanch green beans in well-salted water for 5 minutes or till bright green.
2. Shock in cold water.
3. Transfer to a casserole dish and combine with onions, porky belly and pepper.
4. Place on smoker and smoke for 2-3 hours, turning every 30 minutes or so.
This recipe was shared by Anthony DiBinardo, co-owner and pitmaster at Swig & Swine, located at 1217 Savannah Hwy. • 225-3805 and www.swigandswinebbq.com.
White Bean & Goat Cheese Hummus
Recipe courtesy Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge
Ingredients
• 1-pound white beans, rinsed
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely diced
• Juice from 1/2 Lemon
• 1/3-cup Olive Oil
• ¼-cup Goat Cheese
• 1 tablespoon Tahini Paste
• 1 tablespoon White Wine
Directions
1. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, dry basil to taste
2. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
3. Serve with warm bread & cucumber slices.
This recipe was shared by Christopher “Toker” Smith of Voodoo Tiki Bar & Lounge, located at 15 Magnolia Road (843) 769-0228 and www.voodootikibar.com.
Traditional Hummus
recipe courtesy of Eat-A-Pita
Ingredients
• 2 cups canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 1 tsp sea-salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/3-cup tahini
• 1 1/2 ounces fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces water liquid from garbanzo beans
• Dash of cumin
Directions
1. Add all ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth
2. Serve with warm pita wedges
This recipe was shared by Maki A Nikatos, co-owner of Eat-A-Pita, located at 1300 Savannah Hwy. (843) 766-2049 and www.eatapitausa.com.
Black Bean & Corn Salsa
recipe courtesy of Parson Jack’s Café
Ingredients
• 1 16-ounce can black beans
• 1 16-ounce can of whole kernel corn
• 1-cup red onions (1/4-inch diced)
• 1-cup tomatoes (1/4-inch diced)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• ½-cup quality balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1 Tbsp Tabasco or 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Directions
1. Drain liquid from corn
2. Drain black beans and rinse thoroughly in a colander
3. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients thoroughly
4. Serve with tortilla chips
This recipe was shared by Steve Morgan, owner of Parson Jack’s, located at 3417 Shelby Ray Court. (843) 769-7775 and www.parsonjackscafe.com.
