Heirloom Beans

by Vanessa Barrington, Steve Sando

Who would have thought a simple bean could do so much? Heirloom bean expert Steve Sando provides descriptions of the many varieties now available, from Scarlet Runners to the spotted Eye of the Tiger beans. Nearly 90 recipes in the book will entice readers to cook up bowls of heartwarming Risotto and Cranberry Beans with Pancetta, or Caribbean Black Bean Soup. Close-up photos of the beans make them easy to identify. Packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins, these little treasures are the perfect addition to any meal.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Gardening, Ebooks

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Nicol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some serious shade to pressure cooked beans that was unnecessary 🙄. Maybe a handful of vegetarian recipes that could easily made vegan. Most recipe relied on anchovies or bacon to do the heavy lifting but can easily be omitted. (For vegan substitutions just try capers or smoked paprika) The most interesting part was the description of the beans. Really was looking for some new recipes for Tepary and orca beans.

[Nanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this book is well-meant but not very accurate or helpful. I bought the book, along with several pounds of various heirloom bean varieties. For the novice cook it’s overwhelming with its myriad of unknown ingredients, conflicting advice, and inaccurate cook times. I’m not a novice cook so this is manageable for me. But for my bean-loving husband for whom I bought the book, hoping to inspire some of his newly found free-time since retirement and with a secret hope I’d enjoy the fruits of his labor, this book was quickly shelved after his first bean-cooking experience fell short of his expectations, despite being armed with the cookbook. It’s also too heavily weighted toward Mexican flavors. Also, few vegetarian recipes. I’ll keep buying Rancho Gordo’s beans (love The Eye of the Goat beans!!) but fix them without the “aid” of this book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The general text and photos of beans are great. The recipes tend a bit toward the meat-inclusive, and many of the beans will be hard to find short of mail order, but the author is good about recommending substitutions.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, the information, the how-to, the recipes, everything about it is excellent. Every recipe I've tried is really good, and I now only cook my beans the way this book says to, they turn out perfect every time.

2019 Update: This book is turning into a classic, it's at the top of my bookshelf and gets used often. I'm afraid I've turned into a bean snob now, you should see my pantry! No more boring supermarket beans for me!

[Laura Leaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - and have made several of the bean dishes - but it's not as friendly to people who abstain from meat and cheese. If you're plant-based, buy the Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen book (freaking fabulous). Still, many of the recipes are to-die-for, because heirloom beans are food from the gods.

Fav recipes:
Pot beans!!! (These are so good - I credit the lime and cilantro toppers)
Borlotti beans in tomato sauce with creamy polenta
Scarlet Runner beans with porcini and trumpet mushrooms (I sub w/ vegan butter and parmesan)
Refried beans (I use olive oil, not lard)
Rio Zape beans and sweet potatoes w/ fried sage and pine nuts

I'm a total devotee of Rancho Gordo, and all these beans can be purchased through that site. Some specialty markets do have them, but it's just easier to buy them online.

[Elianastar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great basic cooking beans instructions…

… a number of recipes I will definitely try & really appreciated history, tips & styles of cooking beans. Many of the actual recipes were not to my tastes &/or call for ingredients unavailable for me but could be easily substituted for others I prefer or more accessible.

Definitely recommend for more adventurous cooks. Maybe not so much if looking for simple family dinners.

For me, this book was worth the price just for the info that precedes actual recipes. Was an “almost free” sale Kindle book which was why I purchased - hard to go wrong under $3.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book not only has amazing recipes, but has taught me a great deal about cooking and appreciating varieties of heirloom beans that I had never known about before. Beautiful pictures, interesting anecdotes, and well-laid-out and easily followed recipes, often with fewer than 10 ingredients, let the flavor of the beans shine through. I have learned a great deal from this cookbook over the past several years and continue to go back to it again and again, both for amazing individual recipes and for general cooking and preparation advice. A real keeper.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a book that would go into detail about different types of heirloom beans; history of their cultivation, an in-depth analysis of their different strains and so on. This book is mainly a cookbook. The recipes are excellent, but it was not at all what I was expecting. There was a brief breakdown of different types of beans in the first chapter with a paragraph or so about them, so that's good. But I was hoping for more knowledge about the beans themselves rather than how to cook with them.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like eating beans or just want to add more bean dishes to your menu, you’ll find a good collection of recipes here. If you have had problems with cooking of beans, the chapters on basic cooking and tips & techniques are an excellent resource. And learn the secret to a healthy and long life (maybe).

Vegetarians and vegans may have issues with many of the recipes; however, no reason the recipes can’t be modified, and the information in the introductory section about heirloom beans and how to cook with them is useful for anyone in the kitchen. The writing is clear and concise.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen the Rancho Gordo beans in the market near me and wasn't familiar with the varieties. This book describes the types of beans, which beans work best for certain types of dishes, how to cook beans and of course recipes. I'm a visual person when it comes to recipe books, so I would have liked to see more photos of the dishes. I did find several recipes that I'm anxious to try!

[Emily]

A bit too meat-forward for my taste, and more fussy recipes than I think the humble lil bean really wants to engage with. Definitely enjoyed reading Sando's story and the descriptions/photos of all the heirloom bean types, plus the basic recipe for a mess of beans. I'm sure it's the right cookbook for many bean lovers but I'll stick with the RG website.

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cookbook primarily because it works to get us out of our black bean, pinto, garbanzo bean rut. There are so many worthwhile beans out there that receive scant attention and kudos to those farmers who preserve this heritage.

[Jeffrey Eastman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what is should be: an amazing guide to heirloom beans with recipes that compliment every variety. The complaints from the vegans here are silly. This is not the VEGAN Bean Book. Beans do NOT equal vegan or vegetarian. Get over yourselves.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It hadn't occurred to me that there were heirloom bean enthusiasts. But of course there are.

[Krista Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book of recipes featuring beans. Mostly, but not only, Mexican recipes. Highly recommend!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great basic knowledge on bean cookery. You will be an expert after using the recipes in this book.

[Jennifer Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

New ideas for my favorite heirloom bean company!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great recipes in here.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out from the Library, and after making two recipes I bought the book. The recipes are great and the book is beautiful.

[Pangolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cookbook for GREAT beans. If you have the chance to get some Rancho Gordo beans (you can order on the internet or get them in the San Francisco Farmer's Market), DO IT. It's a whole different animal than the dried beans you buy in the store. Anyway, it's a super book. Some of the recipes are a bit complex for weeknight cooking, but don't forget you can put beans to soak overnight and then turn them on right when you get home and leave them largely unattended while they cook. My only complaint on this book is that I'd rather see more vegetarian offerings where the beans are the star. Too often, they're accompanied by meat (I am an omnivore, but beans make for a great meatless meal).

[Aja Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wanted to read this a long while ago, but BPL didn't have the book. and now i don't eat beans as much, but my new local library had it, so ok! i think this is a great book if you eat a lot of beans and are looking for different kinds of things to do with them. does a good job of tying in more traditional/ethnic foods that include beans as well as inventing some other stuff. and some fun photos of dry beans as well as info about all the different kinds ranch gordo grows. expand your bean horizons!

[Arlian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The recipes were quite good, mostly with ingredients I always have around the house or things I could easily substitute. However,I took some points off because the book was a bit too heavy on the name-dropping for me to really enjoy it. I, like the authors of this book, live in the bay area and I too am in the foodie/organic food/slow food industry. I know personally many of the peoples and places mentioned but instead of being amused or entranced by the references, I was off put. It's a cookbook. I'm not impressed by cookbooks that are thinly veiled advertising attempts.

[Margo Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beans never looked so beautiful than in this book. It is really lovely and the text is interesting to read. I'm not sure where I will be able to FIND some of these delicious sounding beans, but we will see, and then I will be getting this book out from the library again!

Update. I made the Drunken Beans and sent the recipe to my sister, who promptly shared it with her friends. It is worth the price of the book for this one siple recipe!

JEFCO LIB
641.6565
SANDO

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book to flip through for ideas. I'd love to order some of their products. First order of business is to make some drunken beans though. A lot of these recipes look really good, but you need access to HEIRLOOM beans, which isn't easy around here. Regardless, I'm going to try as many of these as possible even if I have to order the beans in the mail.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother is in an heirloom bean phase. What sort of a phase is that? It is different, from, say, a methadone phase. Also not like a neocon phase. He also likes to talk about tones in beer. Thanks, Andrew, for introducing us to a whole new world of beanery.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Single ingredient books are tough to write, if you don't have a book on beans, this one is OK. It is missing nutritional information for recipes though. It does cover a wide variety of recipes from the Americas.

[Dree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got it from the library, and after working from a couple of recipes, bought it. Haven't read it cover to cover--it is a cookbook :)

Love the Rancho Gordo blog too.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love me some beans. And this was a pretty comprehensive cookbook, with recipes from easy to gourmet, and most all of the looked yummy.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good recipes, also bought this one. It is great to have lots of choices when you are vegetarian.