Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you…
Lest you think the above snippet from “Beans, Beans the Musical Fruit” foreshadows an anti-bean consumption polemic, let me allay your concern: I think beans get a bum rap.
Many people avoid beans out of fear of excessive and embarrassing gas, despite the fact that beans are an inexpensive source of protein with many known health benefits. A 2011 study in Nutrition Journal summarized on WebMD.com concludes, “…people’s concerns about excessive flatulence from eating beans may be exaggerated.” Nevertheless, there is evidence beans cause a sudden increase in bacterial activity and gas production a few hours after they’re consumed.
So, how to tame the bean? A basic understanding of human digestion, the chemical make-up of beans and proper cooking methods should do the trick.
Why do beans give you gas? Fiber is the culprit, in part. Also, beans contain large amounts of carbohydrates, in particular, oligosaccharides, that human digestive enzymes can’t convert into absorbable sugars; as the undigested carbs move along the digestive tract, they are broken down by gas producing bacteria. But proper cooking can do a lot of the work of breaking down these carbohydrates before you take a legume-laden bite.
Rancho Gordo, a purveyor of a deliciously diverse assortment of heirloom dry beans provides an easy-to-use cooking guide on their website. In short: you want to simmer the pot of beans in unsalted water until soft; pre-soaking the beans speeds up cooking.
But, how to reduce their gas-producing potential? Harold McGee, chemist and author of On Food and Cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen, demystifies the properly cooked bean. According to McGee, “A commonly used method for reducing the gassiness of beans is to boil them briefly in excess water, let them stand for an hour, then discard the soaking water and start cooking with fresh water. This does leach out most of the water-soluble oligosaccharides – but it also leaches out significant quantities of water-soluble vitamins, minerals, simple sugars, and seed-coat pigments: that is, nutrients, flavor, color, and antioxidants. That’s a high price to pay. An alternative is simple prolonged cooking, which helps by eventually breaking down much of the oligosaccharides and cell-wall cements into digestible simple sugars.”
So rest assured “Beans, Beans the Musical Fruit” is but a silly children’s song, if, you cook your beans right.
Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup
1 pkg 15 beans soaked overnight (save soaking liquid)
1 large onion- chopped
2 robs celery -chopped
5, 6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons veg or olive oil
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 to 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 and 1/2 to 3 quarts vegetable stock, (or water or chicken stock)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (opt)
2 teaspoons oregano
couple dashes soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
In large pot, saute vegetables in oil 15 or 20 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle with red pepper and oregano.
(If the beans came with a little bag of seasonings, and you want to use it, go ahead.)
Add beans and 2 and 1/2 quarts stock/water, (including original soaking liquid.)
Bring to boil, then simmer for 1 hour or until beans are soft.
May need to add more liquid during cooking.
Adjust seasonings with a dash or two of soy sauce, salt & pepper to taste.
Garnish with parmesan, basil pesto, a drizzle of good olive oil…
You can always serve this with sliced sausage or ham to satisfy the meat lovers at the table.
In case you’re lazy and don’t want to cook the beans, here is a great Black Bean Soup recipe from the Food Network
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/black-bean-soup-recipe/index.html
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