I find beans entrancing. Their splendid colours, shapes and shiny skins are jewel-like, beautiful and tactile. There are some recipes in which only dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked from scratch, will do. In rich stews, dry beans need to absorb the stock, the flavours and fats of the aromatics and ingredients to an extent that ready-cooked beans can’t match. Small batch beans have their own flavour and an intense creaminess, little else is needed to make a great dish.
A working lunch for Rupert and I at home will often be a bowl of home-cooked beans, simply dressed with oil, vinegar, fresh herbs, salt and pepper, (perhaps with some fresh tomatoes and Spanish sardines on the side) served with large chunks of bread.
