Bean me up

Tonight I cooked two different dried beans for comparison: Hidatsa Shield Figure and Brockton Horticultural. I'm considering growing them this summer, and I noticed that Seed Savers offered them in cooking size quantities as well as packets for growing. They were pricy for cooking beans, but what the heck. So I got a pound each and cooked up about half for dinner tonight. I follow Cook's Illustrated's lead when cooking beans-- season the water right from the start (including salt, doesn't seem to toughen the skins as the myth claims), don't bother soaking the beans, just bring to a boil and simmer until done. Works great.

It was an interesting and worthwhile experiment. Brockton Horticultural is a winner -- wonderful, full, rich flavor. It cooked faster and made a darker broth than Hidatsa did. Hidatsa's flavor is good, though subtler than Brockton. I'm undecided if I'll grow it, but I probably will. It's such a pretty bean, and it left the broth quite clear, which could be advantageous in some recipes.

The cooked beans then went into a soup with andouille sausage and mustard greens. Seriously yummers. I wrested a fennel from the ground for a fennel and orange salad. We need to Eat More Fennel. Even with our cool, rainy spring, they're getting overgrown. Fennel salad, roasted fennel, braised fennel, fennel soup. I'm out of ideas!