Fall is shell bean season, not just in our gardens and farms, where fresh shell beans have been ready for picking the last few weeks, but also in our kitchens, where their aromas mingle beautifully with the fall air. It is time, or nearly so, for red beans and rice, bean tamales, bean tostadas and cassoulet.
Several farmers market vendors have this season’s beans for sale, some still in their pods and others that have been shelled. I don’t want to single out any particular farmer because there are limited quantities, and the quality is nearly uniformly good. The best place to start is at the farmers market closest to where you live.
Another excellent option is, of course, Rancho Gordo beans. The company is based in Napa and the quality of their beans and other products, including dried corn for posole, is unsurpassed. They are widely available throughout the North Bay.
Even commercial supermarket beans, both dried and canned, are pretty good. They are not as suave, silky, or flavorful as local beans or beans from Rancho Gordo, but they will still make a good meal. It’s not like, say, out of season apricots or supermarket tomatoes, both of which I find inedible. In a pinch, dried beans of any kind will do well by you, as long as you cook them long enough with enough liquid and season them well.
Both of today’s recipes are a tad old school, in that they come from my deep archives and have their roots in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This quality is perfect for fall, too, which I have always found to be a particularly nostalgic time.
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Purists will argue that this is not a true pot pie and they are right: It does not have a bottom crust. But it is close enough, I think, to warrant the moniker, which separates it from soup or stew. You can, if you prefer, forego the puff pastry and serve it simply as a bowl of beans, which case you might want to add a scoop of rice in the center of each portion.
Black Bean & Mushroom Pot Pie
Makes 6 servings
1 pound black beans, preferably local or from Rancho Gordo
— Kosher salt
1 sprig oregano
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig Italian parsley
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into small dice
12 ounces portobello or crimini mushrooms, cut into small dice
4 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
— Black pepper in a mill
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½-1 teaspoon chipotle powder
2 cups vegetable stock
1 package puff pasty, cold but not frozen
1 serrano, cut in half lengthwise to (but not through) its stem
3 tablespoons crème fraiche
6 scallions, trimmed and very thinly sliced, or ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
The night before preparing the dish, put the beans into a heavy pot, cover with water by about 3 inches and let soak.
Drain the beans, tip them into a bean pot or large saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently under the beans are just tender, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.
