Potluck Recipes: The Bean Dish
In my mental recipe file, I have a section labeled "potluck recipes." The imaginary index cards hold dishes that don't cost much to make, come together easily, and scale well. Usually they can be served at room temperature, so that I don't have to fight for the one reheating option in the room.
My latest addition is a bean dip of sorts. Not puréed refried beans but whole beans cooked and mixed with a variety of flavors. The dish was inspired by a recipe in Mediterranean Street Food, though I've never made the original: cannellini beans stewed with saffron, onions, and parsley.
But it's an easy dish to modify. Soak good dried beans in water for two hours. Drain, cover with an inch of water, add half a stick of butter and any other seasoning, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add diced onions—about half the volume of the beans—and more delicate spices. Simmer for half an hour more until the beans are tender. If you have too much liquid, drain the beans, capturing the liquid in a bowl, and moisten the beans until they seem right to you. If they're too dry, add more water. Season the liquid to taste.
Serve with pita bread triangles. You don't have to make the pita yourself.
It won't take you long to think of the obvious addition: pork. I add cubes of smoked sausage when I start to cook the beans. A tomato component works well: Once I used slivered sun-dried tomatoes, and another time I used homemade tomato paste. Add whatever seasonings you'd like. A bouquet garni, peppercorns, whatever. Swap out different beans. No matter what, your fellow diners will consider the pot lucky indeed.
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