Recipe Review: Diana Kennedy's Lenten Beans

I recently purchased Diana Kennedy's book Oaxaca al Gusto, a 400 page tome on the indigenous food of Oaxaca, which, in many cases, is unknown even to many Mexicans outside of these valleys. Here you will find recipes with the fundamental building blocks of the food of the region: chocolate, chiles, and corn. And, as Adriana Legaspi has argued, these meals are not just a means of nourishment, but, rather, an important way to understand how they fit within ancient traditions practiced by the community.


The book is a treasure, with glossy colored photographs and recipes of such exotic things as squash vine soup, wild mushrooms in yellow mole, corn fungus empanadas, duck in guajillo sauce, black mole of nopala, and eggs in pipian....three hundred recipes in all. It's intimidating, to say the least, especially given the fact that many of the ingredients are unavailable here. With this consideration in mind and given the fact that it's Lent, I decided to try the Frijoles blancos guisados, (Stewed White Beans) from Hueyapam, which, according to Ms. Kennedy's notes, are eaten during Lent and served with fish.

They are surprisingly easy to make and, with the aromatic cloves and oregano, are a nice alternative to plain white beans. Also, instead of smashing the beans with a wooden spoon to thicken the sauce, I took out about a ¼ of them after they had completely softened and before adding the rest of the ingredients. I then placed them in a blender and liquefied them before putting them back into the bean broth. This seemed to be a more efficient way of pureeing them, resulting in  a velvety  texture to contrast with the whole beans.

This book is like a portal into another world, the hidden Mexico that still exists, a world sorely in need of other Diana Kennedys who will follow in her path preserving and protecting the ways of the land and its people as they have existed for centuries.

Lenten beans

Recipe Type: side dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Recipe adapted from Diana Kennedy's Oaxaca al Gusto

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 3 hours

Total time: 3 hours 15 mins

Serves: 6

Take your time to cook these white beans and they will have a soft, buttery texture with the fragrance of the herbs and spices you will add.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces (350 g) small white beans, picke dover and rinsed
• 1 small white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 small head garlic, halved horizontally, unpeeled
• salt to taste
• 2 allspice, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried Oaxacan oregano leaves or 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium white onion thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 ounces (165 g) tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 large sprigs flat-leaved parsley, roughly chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Put the beans into a large pot with the onion, garlic, and salt to taste.


2. Cover well with water and cook, covered, over medium flame until they are tender but not too sof, about 2 1/2 hours, depending on the age of the beans.


3. They should be very brothy.


4. Grind together the spices and oregano.


5. Heat the oil in a casserole and fry the onion and garlic, with the spices, until translucent.


6. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until the mixture has reduced and seasoned. about 5 minutes.


7. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of the beans and mash well to thicken the mixture a little.


8. Add the beans with their broth and the parsley and cook, uncovered, over low heat until all the flavors have blende, about 25 minutes.


9. Adjust the salt.

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