Beans Again? Grumble, Grumble

I do so love having a pressure cooker. Apart from all the exotic things it can do (peppercorn purée, caramelized condensed milk) it also makes it easy to enjoy perfect beans with little more than 30 minutes of lead time- even if, say, those beans went unsoaked all day because I had other things to do and I can’t do everything, can I?

But what I did manage to remember were the chicken bones in the fridge, and I used them to make a simple broth, which I used to cook the beans in. So while beans hissed away with broth, mirepoix, and some radish greens, I defrosted a couple of crepinettes from the freezer. Earlier we had done some thinning in the garden so I washed and spun broccoli sprouts, arugula, beet sprouts, and a few random lettucey things to make a salad of surpassing freshness and delight. After the sausage was cooked, since there was till broth left I made a quick roux with the rendered sausage fat and whipped up a quick gravy that I flavored with a big dollop of mash made from some of the overwintered bitter greens.

And that was it: toothsome beans, rich meat, tangy gravy, and amazing salad. A few spuds would have been nice, but whaddayagonna do. The leftovers were even better for breakfast over toast with a fried egg on top.

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6 Comments

  1. Ken Albala
    May 6, 2009

    That looks pretty damned delicious to me. Especially the beans. And now I have to figure out what those crepinettes are! Ken

  2. The Spiteful Chef
    May 6, 2009

    I, too, do not know what a crepinette is. Who knows? I might have some hanging out in my freezer, too! If a crepinette is, like, a sugar-free popsicle with a frost-ball formed around it…

  3. Zoomie
    May 6, 2009

    Crepinettes and beans – a match made in heaven.

  4. Brooke
    May 6, 2009

    BEANS are the BALLS. Especially those slow cooked sweet ones. CK’s grandma makes some killer beans, but they’re all white trashey with ketchup in them. But again, the BALLS.

    That looks awesome. And now I know what to do when I thin the garden. You have learned me good, Peter.

  5. peter
    May 8, 2009

    Ken: I trust by now that you’ve read the earlier post.

    Kristie: Same for you.

    Zoomie: Kickin’ it école vieux.

    Brooke: Where I come from, it’s pronounced bwalls, but otherwise I’m with you. Though I can’t get with the ketchup. Sorry. (Unless it’s homemade.)

  6. cook eat FRET
    May 18, 2009

    why do these kind folks not just go ahead and CLICK ON THE CREPINETTE LINK? geeshk…

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