Light Rice and Beans With a Little Sauce
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but beans have a moment – and as a longtime adherent of the bean-eating lifestyle, I really love to see it. However, for many, dried beans are not at all interesting. If you are one of them, I think that bean sauce might just change your mind.
This method is taken from Sean Brock’s recipe for Lowcountry Hoppin ‘John , which is so ridiculously good that I made two batches in just the first week of 2020. After you cook the peas, Brock advises you to mix some of them with cooking liquid and more oil to make a thick, buttery bean sauce. Obviously butter makes everything tastier, but it’s not really the main thing. Beans are surprisingly versatile, and eating them in two different formats – whole and with gravy – allows them to fully display their remarkable qualities. Perfectly cooked beans are a textural miracle, but the gravy showcases just how good they taste . I firmly believe that all dishes benefit from one sauce or another, but I still wasn’t ready for how effective that particular sauce is. A little richness is never bad when you’re working with lean ingredients, but I didn’t expect the extra layer of bean flavor to be so transformative. There was everything in every bite: tender peas, crumbly rice and delicious sauce – all of which worked harmoniously to create the most comfortable meal possible. If that doesn’t help you with the beans, I don’t know what will happen. You can and should try this with any beans and any fat. The possibilities are seemingly endless: black beans with sour cream and a little lime juice, white beans with brown butter and sage or rosemary, kidneys with coconut milk and warm spices, or pinto with bacon fat and a little beer – all sound damn damn good for me. Next time you cook a large pot of beans, add a cup of each of the beans and cooking liquid, add 3 or 4 tablespoons of fat, and blend with a blender. Season to taste, top with rice and beans, and marvel at how luxurious a bowl of beans can be.