Beans, beans the magical food...

So, I was reading this food blog a few weeks ago...one of the many that I subscribe to, since I am a food fag...and got inspired. I had read a Domino article a few months before about Rancho Gordo's heirloom beans, and this bloggy chef had made a warm heirloom bean salad using the Rancho Gordo variety. I had to have them. I ordered the European variety pack, and within days I had RG beans of my very own. Now, ordinarily, beans aren't something that you would call beautiful, or even cute...but these are *gorgeous*. These are seriously some damn sexy beans.

After showing off my beans for a few weeks, and forcing friends to ogle them and swear that they were the most beautiful things they'd ever seen, I decided that perhaps it was time to eat the damn things. Now, I'm all about doing things from scratch, being organic and all that jazzy jazz, but buying a can has always sounded a lot easier and less headachey than DIY beans. Seeing as this was my first foray into this world, I did a little research and went on my merry little way. In between changing midget diapers, and naps, and being run over by a walker, I was soaking and prepping and organizing dinner.

I've always prided myself on my 30 minute meals (NOT the Rachael effing Ray variety which involve CRAP food and actually listening to that voice of hell), but there is no getting out of doing beans in 30 minutes or less. Soak time: 1 hour. Mire poix prep and cooking: 20 minutes. Cooking beans and mire poix: 2 effing hours almost. Chopping salad and making dressing: 20 minutes. This is a salad, people! I could have made a rack of lamb and mint chutney and maybe some grilled baby veggies in the same amount of time it took me to make this beast. (Not that I would, because carcass is gross, but still, you get my drift.)

Auden had had dinner, napped, played, bathed and had his last bottle of the night, and FINALLY my SALAD was complete. We dug in. It was brilliant. Now, I'm my own worst critic. I rip my dishes apart. I sit there and bitch about a lack of salt, or a heavy hand with the sherry vinegar or the truffle oil not being necessary. Although I probably would have added a little more salt, and maybe some grilled garlic cloves to make it super perfect...this salad was the mother effing jam. Gerald declared my beans the best ones he's ever had in his life. He mentioned it several times. He's still talking about it. (Shut up, I have more, I'll make them. Garsh.)

In conclusion, buy these beans. They will make you happy.

I'll give the gas update tomorrow...so far..so good. X gas free X Pics tomorrow too.

xoxo