A Tale of Two Dishes From One Pound of Beans:

Po Bean Bisque + White Beans & Rice

• This Velvety Soup Was Found in the Remains of My Pressure Cooker
• White Beans & Rice Make an Almost Instant Lunch or Side

As a subscriber to the NY Times cooking site I was intrigued by a recipe for a famous dish rendered into a vegetarian do-over. So I made Marbella Beans. Meh— I did not see the E-V-R [effort vs. reward] to it; so I scratched saving the recipe.

BUT!!! There was a half-pot of creamy, unctuous “planned-over” remains in the pot. After removing most of the beans to make the original dish, the leftover stock was super creamy and had a comforting fullness I have rarely enjoyed in any soup!

So I reworked the stock to create Po Bean Bisque [Po is a meme for planned-over*]. This is now a scratch soup going forward—the saved beans will become White Beans & Rice. This soup has great pivot qualities: add in any type of cooked protein, rice, pasta, and or herbs. This is what I call a “recipe multiplicity.”

NOTE: I use a pressure cooker to render the beans super soft and succulent. Many of the beans were dissolved into a creamy stock. If you do not use a pressure cooker, cook the beans low-n-slow to yield about 50% very soft beans and the rest as part of the stock.

* “Planned-overs” is my term for leftovers. In a renewal kitchen there no leftovers—they become a part of a future dish.

INGREDIENTS: Select thin-skinned white beans—great northern or cannellini beans—as they will yield a creamy stock. [I will further test lima beans, as they become creamy without the 8 hour soak.]

• great northern or cannellini beans – 1 LB dried
• brine to soak dried beans – 2 TBS salt + 1 quart water [discard after soaking]
• extra-virgin olive oil – 1/4 cup + 2 TBS
• bay leaves – 3 
• dried oregano – 1 tsp
• pepper – 1/2 tsp
• salt – 2 tsp
• water to cover beans by 1 inch
• garlic cloves – 4, minced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Soak the beans in the brine for 8 hours, then drain, but do not rinse
2. Add the beans to a pressure cooker and add enough fresh water to cover beans by 1 inch
3. Add the olive oil, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper
4. Pressure cook for 11 minutes; then check for super creamy bean consistency, add extra time if needed
5. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic in 2 TBS olive oil until just golden; a few minutes
6. Use a slotted spoon and remove most of the beans and reserve for another dish
7. Add in the garlic and adjust seasoning before serving

GARNISHES: I added some planned-over sticky rice, pepperoni slices, and chopped parsley [in the very top photo. Incredible taste and texture!] This would work on any restaurant menu.

Go to Red Beans & Rice and use the planned-over beans for a “White” version of their classic Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen recipe.

Recipes developed by B. Hettig