These beans are my latest obsession.
I started buying them a few months ago at Tuesday’s farmers’ market at the Ferry Plaza, and I’ve been cooking them practically every week since then. If I’m not personally eating them, my clients are.
Sometimes beans can be a risky item to serve at dinner parties (not everybody’s digestive system reacts kindly to them), but last week when I served Cabernet-braised lamb shanks with white beans (cooked with mirepoix, chicken stock and parsley), the only scraps left on the plates were cleaned bones.
You may think, “Heh. Beans are beans. What’s the big deal?” Well, I’ll tell you, no bean I’ve ever eaten has tasted more sweet or had as creamy a texture as these butter beans. Period. In fact, I’m so hung up on these gems that I nearly spat out a batch of white beans I bought from a health-food store bulk bin the other week. They were mealy, had no consistency in texture (some were mushy, some were chewy) and tasted flat and musty. As humble a foodstuff as they are, there are beans that pass and beans that fail.
If you’re concerned about the time it takes to cook dried beans, I urge you to find yourself a pressure cooker. Iacopi’s beans were ready in one hour. Read that: ONE hour. That means less time, less energy and less water. Plus, I didn’t even need to soak them beforehand.
Had I used the standard stovetop cooking method using a regular stock pot, the beans would have simmered for 2 to 3 hours and have consumed several extra cups of water in the process.
If you have never used a pressure cooker, I urge you to give it a try.
I recently went to the Calabasas Farmer’s Market in my neighborhood, which is part of Los Angeles County, and tasted the most amazing beans I had ever eaten on the face of this planet in a Mediterranean product kiosk. I asked the lady what the name of the beans were and she said, Gigante, with an accent. She baked them in a garlicky tomato sauce and they were soft, sweet and kept their shape.
I looked online to find out more about these beans and where to purchase them here in Los Angeles? My daughters are vegetarian and I would love to use them in my repertoire of vege dishes.
Margot
Hi Margot,
I believe Iacopi also sells gigante beans. They are located in Northern California, but perhaps they could mail some to you. Their address is attached to the bag in my photo above.
Try looking in healthfood stores or Mediterranean supermarkets for the dried variety. If you don’t have any luck, canellini beans would make a good substitute. For best results, cook them yourself (don’t use canned) and look for beans that are smooth and creamy white, with no wrinkles or broken pieces.
Good luck in your search!
Laurie