Cooking with Dry Beans and Peas

r ranson wrote:Chickpeas can be eaten raw, in the garden, while they are young.  Apparently they are quite delicious, but I'm not fond of them.  Some people may be sensitive to them.

I'm not keen on eating dry chickpeas raw.  I find them too hard to digest if they haven't been cooked.  Maybe that's why I don't like raw fresh chickpeas either.


Neat idea about using chickpea flour for humus.  I was wondering just last night about how to make bean flour.  I was also wondering how to use it without having the same digestive issue I have with raw or undercooked dry beans.

Well I have an idea for you on making bean flours.  Soak the beans at least overnight, drain off the water. Let them sit moist in container to allow for some "sprouting" to occur. This may take another day. Rinse them occasionally to be sure they stay moist. Then dry them thoroughly by dextrinizing them in a dry, unoiled cast iron skillet. This is a process that is usually done with soaked rice until it is crackling/toasty (but not burned!) while stirring constantly till you hear it "pop". That dextrinization helps pre-cook the starches and make the rice cook faster, keep its shape (not become mushy) and easier to digest. I think it also improves the flavor.  If you do the same with beans then you should be able to grind them into flour/powder and use for baking. They will have reduced lectin content and be rendered easier to digest during the shorter cooking time in the oven (typically when baking).  I would make sure the recipe contained plenty of water - firstly as beans absorb a lot of water when cooking and second because you want to completely break down their starches and proteins as when cooking whole beans in a pot until soft.  I would not use whole, unsoaked/unsprouted raw beans to make flour/powder and expect your body to handle them well over time.  The gut  bacteria cannot handle the starches or proteins well and it can lead to "leaky gut" and auto-immune symptom development over time. This gut compromise happens gradually so most people are not aware of what "caused" it.  Gluten is another common culprit as well as the introduction of toxins into our food supply in recent years which is something our ancestors did not contend with typically from traditional organic farming practices.
Having recovered from "leaky gut" and "auto-immune" issues myself I now soak/sprout and thoroughly cook all organic beans, peas, lentils, whole grains/psuedograins and avoid gluten-containing grains altogether. The use of toxic sprays is becoming more common and must be avoided at all times since even "organic soil" is potentially contaminated by "overspray" or genetically modified seed and animal manures from the feed that is given to ruminants.
I have found that cooking all legumes in neutral pH water is best. My well water tends to be slightly acidic 6.7 or 6.8 pH and so when I add a pinch of baking soda to the water it fizzes up a bit. This helps to neutralize the water's pH and enhances the cooking especially if the beans are old and possibly too dry and requiring more careful preparation and cooking.  Undercooked beans are definitely not ideal for digestion or gut health or nutrition absorption. It is the lectins in the outer coating of all seeds that is difficult for humans to digest as we lack the enzymes of multi-stomached ruminants (who chew their cud). That is the reason it is best to avoid or reduce them as much as possible. Cooking also neutralized them so we do not eat raw beans (even if they were soaked/sprouted). The other issue is the phytates which are substances that all seeds/nuts contain in their outer skin which is what "preserves" them at normal storage temperature so they have "shelf life" and will not begin to grow until you are ready to plant them and then the water and warm, moist soil causes the release of the phytates and allowing the germ inside to activate to life. It is a Creator-design built into the seed which is marvelous indeed! Humans do not benefit from the phytates, so the soaking and rinsing washes it  away before the cooking deactivates it and finishes breaking down the lectins further.  Never tempt fate by eating raw or undercooked kidney beans which contain a toxic compound that must be cooked in order to deactivate it. Never make raw bean flour from kidney beans. I do not know of a way to make a safe kidney bean flour. I would not try to make raw fava bean flour either, as it also contains a chemical compound that is toxic to many people (a genetic issue), and always undigestible unless its proteins are thoroughly cooked before eating. I do not think it possible to add these raw flours to most baking recipes and to cook with sufficient liquid and for sufficient time to achieve optimum nutrition/health. I have cooked raw garbanzo flour on the stove top with sufficient water to make a gooey thin paste which then thickens as it cooks. This must be stirred constantly and becomes like wallpaper paste and very hard to stir for a long enough time until it pulls away from the sides of the pot - a good 45 -60 minutes. It changes flavor/consistency completely and the taste is delicious after it is shaped into patties with salt and seasonings and fried in oil. The taste & texture is similar to fried whitefish when served with lemon. It is an Italian treat that is a lost art, having been sold by "street vendors" typically in the 'barios'.  Look for recipes called "panelli or panella" but be advised the modern versions skip the long cooking necessary to achieve the traditional taste and outcome. Buon appetito!

I cheat. I go out into my friend's fields, during harvest, and fill a few five gallon buckets out of a semi trailer.

Still have three buckets to process for the freeze dryer (cook, the freeze dry). They don't take up any less room, but their weight drops by more than half.

The foregoing aside, a lot of great information here.

On eating raw peas, one of our favorite things is, after collecting a five gallon bucket of peas from the truck trailer the combine filled with them, is to wash them, then eat them in place of a salad with just Ranch Dressing dribbled over the top.  It's like having desert with your steak.

Tobias Ber wrote:i am wondering ... store bought dried green peas can be sprouted. could you make fallafel with these? maybe add some starch to glue them together. dried chick peas can be sprouted, too, depending on quality.

as far as i remember, you should not eat raw chick peas, but raw green peas are ok. any info on that?

edit: i stir fried some grean pea sprouts. interesting. they turn put very crispy. could go well in some dishes

Would a potato masher work?

r ranson wrote:Anyone here make hummus?  Anyone make it without an electric tool?  My blitzer and blenders are both on the fritz, and I really don't want to go out and buy new (or used) ones... but without them, no home made hummus.  

While we're at it.  What's your hummus recipe like?  There are so many variations.  My favourite goes like this:

Chickpeas
Garlic
Lemon/lime juice
salt
sesame/olive oil

Mix and blend, adjust ingredients to taste.

Ooh, it's hard to pick favorites.  I only cook beans in a pressure cooker--be sure to add a little oil to keep the foaming down and not plug the vent.  A very easy dish I make is to cook the beans: kidney, white, black or black-eyed peas--whatever you want, until soft.  Meanwhile I chop up an onion, celery, carrots--whatever is available.  When the beans are done, I drain them and then toss with vegetables while still hot.  Then I add balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil, salt and pepper and give it a good toss.  What a wonderful lunch or side dish.  I have some in the fridge right now!

I love the black bean soup recipe in The Moosewood cookbook that calls for both tomatoes and orange juice.  Most recipes for black bean soup can taste almost muddy to me, but the OJ and tomatoes really brightens it and it is my go-to.  Served with cornbread and I'm in heaven.   I also make a lot of pea soup and lentil soup--again, always in the pressure cooker.  It is so fast yet gives the taste of a slow cooker.  I would be lost without it...or, at least, I probably would cook a lot less beans.

I used to make a dish with adzuki beans which I really liked...hmmm, I'll have to locate that recipe again!

I do pre-soak most (not peas or lentils) and drain the water and then add fresh before cooking.  I've had some that soften up nicely and then some that don't seem to soften enough.  I think it might have to do with how long they've been hanging around.

I recently made a shepard's pie with lentils in place of the lamb. I don't know what you'd call it. Farmer's pie?

It was delicious!

Sautee some onions, carrots, and garlic until satisfied
Add herbs (i use fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay, whatever) and a crushed tomato or tomato paste
Red wine reduction
Add lentils and vegetable stock
Cook until almost tender and sauce has thickened (add a thickening agent if necessary)
Salt/season to preference

Meanwhile make mashed potatoes as you see fit

When all is done layer mashed potatoes on top of lentil filling in a roasting dish and bake until potatoes start to crisp

There are so many variations on how to make this, but it's basically just stew with potatoes on top, then baked
Next time I make it I'm going to add some jalapeno or serrano to the potatoes to give it some real kick and maybe something to make the lentil filling a little creamier

I love Pinto Beans - SO - when I purchased a Mealthy Pot (low pressure cooker) the very first meal I made in that was a pot of Pinto Beans. It was fantastic! I just started the recipe shown below, then put in my DRY beans, flipped the lid on and set it for "Beans', and 40 minutes later the contents were finished, one of the best pots of beans I've ever eaten.

You could just do the Beans by themselves, however, a bit of extras helps 'spice' up the flavor of the beans. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of Olive oil, but any kind will do. And I was told be a lady friend that helps with the bloating and gas problem as well.

My extras are a large sweet onion, baby carrots, and 3-4 spices along with salt and pepper.
Check out the recipe below. It is a graphic so you can download it and then pull it into a word processor and enlarge it to a max of the paper size for easy reading.

Personally, my favorite bean is a bean/pea. Pigeon Peas are favorite in the Puerto Rican culture. Soak 1 cup pigeon peas overnight. Rinse 1 cup rice and set aside. Start a sofrito (fresh is best) by sautéing a diced onion for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add two cloves of minced garlic and 1 chopped bell pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add rice, peas, and enough water to cover all by approximately 1 1/2 inches above rice and peas. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 15oz of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Simmer until rice absorbs sauce.
Note: a lot of people say that they don’t like cilantro. What they mean is they don’t like it raw. It’s a totally different thing cooked.

I have a question and hope I can post a picture. I am wondering if these pots my friend inherited are bean pots:

They are very large: I am also wondering, if bean pots, how well they work if only half-filled (or less). Any bean pot users out there who can help me learn?

Many thanks.

I will try and limit my time on the soapbox.

Every time I have found a recipe that stated that I didn't need to pre-soak my beans before cooking, I have been rather disappointed that the beans were not 'soft' enough. I am now a habitual bean soaker prior to cooking them.

My favorite dried bean recently would be navy beans. Give me a ham bone and I can make a meal out of them for days. Amazing what a bit of cumin does for a bean!

Snow on the ground again and I'm too cold to dig myself out.  

It makes me appreciate how many wonderful recipes are in this thread.  Thank you everyone!  

Now I get to delay shoveling snow while I find the next recipe to try.  That's a wonderful thing.  

One of the things I like is to sprout peas and lentils. It takes a few days, but it adds variety while still using the same plant. It's definitely a good way to "garden" on your kitchen counter during the winter.

Barbara Kochan wrote:I have a question and hope I can post a picture. I am wondering if these pots my friend inherited are bean pots:

They are very large: I am also wondering, if bean pots, how well they work if only half-filled (or less). Any bean pot users out there who can help me learn?

Many thanks.

Barbara, apologies for the slow reply. Google suggests those are Columbian bean pots. They should be okay to use half filled. The main thing to watch out for is rapid temperature changes. There's information about it here: https://www.mytoque.com/pages/about-la-chamba-cookware

Wow, here in Brazil we also have clay pots that look just like that. There are some traditional long-cooking dishes (stewed beef, beans, oxtail stew, etc) that are made in them, although some folks use them on wood stoves as well for beans or whatever else. I have baked sourdough in mine but unfortunately it didn`t hold a candle to my cast iron pot.

I'm not new to beans, but new to beans/pressure cookers. I started last year buying/growing beans in bulk and in response to that I cook in bulk and then freeze in 1C quantities. Enough for tacos or to add to something, but not enough that I have to make refries or, or.... Currently I have pintos, black beans, and a white bean in the freezer. I need to do a batch of garbanzos soon. Beans are used here, regularly, but we're not vegetarian and not entirely garden centered, although more so than a few years ago.

Progress of a sort, movement, anyway!

I recently got a book at our local library's used book sale, which I am excited to have - El Gran Libro De Las Legumbres by Anna Garcia. I'm not sure if there is an English edition, but the Spanish one can be had for around ten dollars or less on ThriftBooks, etc. It has 250 recipes for beans and legumes, with mostly simple techniques and whole ingredients and ones that are commonly processed at home.

Here is one for garbanzos and pumpkin, which is very good and similar to a stew I like to make with any winter squash. I also like to use celery or onions, carrots, peppers, cilantro, whatever you have to use up... for extra flair and to save on dishes you can serve it in the roasted outer part of the pumpkin or squash you use!

approx. 4 servings

200g dried chickpeas
450g pumpkin
1 leek
1/2 can of crushed natural tomatoes (or fresh, crushed) (200g)
70g almonds
1 slice of bread
1 dried pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
50ml olive oil or frying oil of your choice
pepper
salt

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. The next day, rinse and drain them.

2. Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and chop it into large chunks.

3. Heat 1 liter of water and, when it comes to a boil, add the chickpeas, without salt. Cook over medium heat for 1.5 hours. After the first half hour, add the pumpkin and a pinch of salt.

4. Meanwhile, peel and chop the leek. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the leek over low heat for a few minutes. When it has browned, add the tomato and cook for 10 minutes. After this time, add the cumin and pepper, and stir.

5. In another pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the almonds, bread, and dried pepper.

6. Check if the chickpeas are cooked and add salt. The pumpkin should be practically falling apart. Finally, add the fried bread mixture and the leek and tomato sauce; stir and cook for 5 more minutes. Ready to serve.