Accounting for Taste

In this scrumptious Spanish recipe, large butter beans and tomatoes take up tons of flavor from saffron, sherry vinegar, olives, smoked paprika, and garlic. Simply serve them as a vegetarian main with toasted crusty garlic bread, or as a side to a meat entrée.

Are you one of those that just hearing the words “lima beans” sends you into a spiral of loathing and revulsion? It doesn’t matter what the rest of the dish is, the cloud has descended and nothing else is getting through to you. I used to be one of “those.” Now change “lima” to the word “butter” however, and what happens? Suddenly, I’m paying attention. But is that all there is to it? Or are butter beans a completely different ingredient?

No, rest assured; the two are actually one in the same. There’s no difference between lima beans and butter beans, though sometimes they’re sold at different stages of maturity. Interestingly, whether you prefer to call them lima beans or butter beans is a result of your own geographical traditions and how your family and friends refer to them.

In the American South and the United Kingdom, they’re butter beans. For the rest of the United States, they’re typically called lima—after the bean’s origin city of Lima, Peru, where they’ve grown for over 9,000 years. I say tomato, you say toemahtoe….

*NOTE: In the end, we thought the dish was a bit too liquidy, in addition to the reserved bean cooking liquid, the tomatoes and red peppers both release juices. Therefore we suggest cutting back the amount from 2 cups to 1 1/2 or less cups.

Spanish-Style Butter Beans

Servings: 8
Time: 1 hr, 15 min + cooked beans
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic; 4 smashed, plus 1 1/2 tsp. minced
2 pints grape tomatoes
1 cup roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
¼ tsp. saffron threads, crushed
6 cups cooked and drained large lima beans, plus 2 cups* reserved bean cooking liquid
1/2 cup chopped manzanilla olives
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions

Soak dry beans overnight and cook as per package directions.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add grape tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, smoked paprika, saffron threads, and smashed garlic cloves; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened and begin to burst, 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in cooked butter/lima beans and bean cooking liquid, olives, sherry vinegar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
Spoon into an ungreased 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake in preheated oven until heated through and liquid is slightly reduced, 45 to 55 minutes. (We put the casserole under the broiler for several minutes afterward.)
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Stir together parsley, chopped garlic, remaining 6 tablespoons of EVOO, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt. Spoon mixture over warm beans. Serve beans with toasted crusty bread.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from Melissa Gray for Food & Wine Magazine

This lovely, tasty “stew” is all done in one pot, which appeals to many home cooks. The time commitment is nearly two hours, so it is not necessarily a weeknight effort. Our concern was if the butter beans would hold up and not turn to mush in that amount of time. Spoiler alert—they were perfect. And all of the wonderful flavors melded together. It’s even better as leftovers!

The story from Milk Street reads “tavče gravče, which translates as “beans in a pan,” is a Macedonian classic. Traditionally, large dried white beans called tetovac, named after a city in northwestern Macedonia, are the star of the rustic dish, while onions, garlic, peppers and paprika provide deep, rich flavor and color.”

The convenience of canned butter beans, which are plump, creamy and the best widely available alternative to tetovac beans was the obvious choice here. If butter beans are difficult to find, cannellini beans work, too. Combined with sautéed aromatics and baked for an hour with smoked sausages, the beans turn silky-soft and deeply flavorful. Serve with crusty bread on the side.

Don’t forget to reserve 1½ cups of the bean liquid before draining the cans. The liquid is added to the pot and keeps the beans plump and moist during baking. (If the amount of liquid from the cans comes up short, make up the difference with more water.) To ensure enough liquid evaporates during cooking, use a Dutch oven with a wide diameter—ideally between 11 and 12 inches.

We used smoked chicken Andouille sausages, and paired with a thick, crusty slice of toasted olive loaf and a side salad.

Baked White Beans and Sausages with Paprika, Onions and Sweet Peppers

Servings: 6
Time: 2 hr
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 medium red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
6 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 tsp. sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp. dried mint (optional)
3 15½-oz. cans butter beans (1½ cups liquid reserved), rinsed and drained
2 dried árbol chilies OR ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-1 1/4 lbs. smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or bratwurst
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the onions, bell peppers and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, paprika, mint (if using) and ½ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the beans and reserved liquid, árbol chilies and 1½ cups water. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then nestle the sausages into the pot and drizzle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Transfer to the oven and bake, without stirring, until the sausages are browned and the beans on the surface are slightly crisped, 1 to 1¼ hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and let stand, uncovered, for about 15 minutes; the bean mixture will thicken as it cools. Transfer the sausages to a cutting board. Cut them into pieces, return them to the pot and stir into the beans. Remove and discard the árbol chilies (if used). Taste and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the parsley. Serve from the pot.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Courtney Hill for Milk Street