Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.”Here is a hearty favorite bean recipe: Guinness Baked Beans.

You don’t want to miss this great recipe…again.

Want to dive deeper into our recipe archive? Just click one of the categories at the top of this page or use the category search drop down menu on the right side of this page.

And…here is a link to Blue Cayenne’s main page: Blue Cayenne.  If you are in the mood to cook (or eat!), we hope you will take a moment to look at the many excellent recipes we have featured.

There have been too many to count.

One was sweet and sultry and oh-so-smooth. Another was decidedly rough at the edges–kinda took my breath away. Then there was–– the steady and reliable one.  And on and on…and on. (<Blush>)

Now– it’s a fling with dark moodiness and the unexpected.

Beans. Glorious beans. I’m talking about beans, people.

Specifically baked beans, chili beans and refrieds.

My new squeeze is White Beans Au Vin, an interesting riff on Coq au Vin that keeps the “vin” but substitutes beefy mushroom quarters for the “coq.” It’s dark, moody and full of flavor. Topped with crunchy fresh bread crumbs sautéed in a liberal amount of good butter, this dish is a revelation.

Truth be told, you can find many great bean recipes on Blue Cayenne–baked beans, bean soups, bean salads. Just  type “beans” into the search box at the top right of this page. Like they say, “so many bean recipes, so little time.”

For now, swipe right for White Beans Au Vin. I think you’ll fall in love.

White Beans Au Vin

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Ingredients

• 3 T. unsalted butter
• 3 medium carrots (diced into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 5 medium shallots (chopped--about 1 C.)
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms (trimmed and quartered)
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/2 C. dry red wine
• 2 t. tomato paste
• 2 fifteen-ounce cans cannellini beans (or equivalent dried and cooked beans) (rinsed and drained)
• 2 C. vegetable broth
• 1 T. Cognac or brandy (or more to taste)
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley (more for serving)
• 1 t. balsamic vinegar
• Grated Parmesan and buttered bread crumbs for topping

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté carrots and shallots (seasoned with a little salt and pepper) for about 5 minutes.
2. Add quartered mushrooms to the Dutch oven with the carrots and shallots and cook (stirring) until all of the vegetables are tender. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add thyme sprigs and garlic to the mixture in the Dutch oven. Quickly cook until fragrant. This will take about 30 seconds. Add wine and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the wine is nearly evaporated.
4. Add beans, broth, Cognac, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper to the Dutch oven mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer (covered) until the sauce is reduced and thickened. I enjoyed this dish cooked down until the sauce was very thick. You can also serve this dish with a thinner, less-reduced sauce. Your call. This will take about 25 or 30 minutes.
5. Remove the beans from the heat. Remove the thyme sprigs from the bean mixture and discard. Stir in parsley and balsamic vinegar. Season beans with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve topped with more parsley, grated Parmesan, and buttered bread crumbs. I used sourdough crumbs sautéed in lots of good butter. Don't omit the crumbs. The crunchy texture of the bread crumbs gives this bean dish a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor.

Nutrition

Calories

1196 cal

Fat

38 g

Carbs

191 g

Protein

38 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

259

https://bluecayenne.com/swipe-right-for-white-beans-au-vin

This recipe is adapted from a New York Times recipe. You can find the original recipe here.

What in the heck is farro?

When I first (mis)heard the term on the radio while driving, my distracted mind went in all sorts of wrong directions—a bitter Woody Allen misalliance, a dark Coen Brothers comedy that gave   the Minnesota expression “you betcha” new meaning when used in conjunction with the operation of a wood chipper… It was that kind of day.

Then I got serious and discovered that farro is a grain. In fact, it is a pretty important grain in that it was one of the earliest forms of wheat to be cultivated and became the most important  grain in the Mediterranean area until Roman times. Farro is also called Emmer Wheat.

So, why do you care? First, farro is good for you. It is a whole grain and has twice the fiber and protein of modern wheat. It is a true superfood. Secondly, it has a nutty and delicious flavor and, thirdly, and not unimportantly, you can buy it at Costco. Cooked in a soup, it retains it shape and gives a great chewey texture reminiscent of barley to meatless soups and other dishes. Since Costco is unforgiving for those of us who shop for one, I now own a four-pound bag of farro. You can expect to see other farro dishes on Blue Cayenne. From what I see on the Internet, farro can be used in salads, pilafs, stuffings, breakfast grains, desserts and more.

This recipe was adapted from one published recently in the NY Times.

Recipe: Farro and Bean Soup

1  1/2 C. dry red beans, kidney beans, pintos or borlottis, rinsed and picked over for stones (I used Rancho Gordo Rio Zape red beans)

1 C. farro, rinsed

2 T. extra-virgin olive  oil, plus more for drizzling on soup

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 bouquet garni with a few springs of fresh parsley, thyme, a bay leaf and a parmesan rind)

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 small stalk celery, diced

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into half lengthwise, cleaned and sliced thin

Salt

6 sage leaves, chopped, plus more for serving

1  14-ounce can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 T. tomato paste

1 15-ounce can of  tomato sauce

Freshly ground pepper

2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan (or Asagio) for serving

Directions:

Combine dry beans and farro in a bowl with 1 1/2 quarts of water and let soak overnight.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pan and saute one half of chopped onions until soft (about 5 minutes). Add one-half the minced garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Then, add the soaked beans, farro, and your bouquet garni to the pan along with the water you used to soak the beans. Add an additional 1 1/2 quarts of water to the pan and bring the mixture to a slow boil. If foam forms, skim it off. Reduce the heat and cover the soup and simmer it for one hour.

While the soup is simmering, heat remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and add onion, carrots, leeks, celery and a teaspoon (or more) of salt to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender–about 5 minutes. When vegetables are soft(ish) add remaining garlic and the chopped  sage to the pan. Stir and cook until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add tomatoes and their juices.  Salt to taste and continue to cook. Stir this mixture until tomatoes have cooked down slightly.

Add vegetable mixture to the farro and beans in the large soup pan. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and salt to taste. Simmer soup for 45 minutes to an hour until the soup thickens. Add pepper. Adjust salt. Remove bouquet garni.

Stir in the parsley and additional chopped sage (if desired), Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan over each bowl of soup. Enjoy.

Cook’s Note: I used Rancho Gordo heirloom beans for this soup. Rancho Gordo beans are available at some health food stores and online.