Bean cooking Q&A with Alicia Kennedy
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Say hello to our friend, Alicia Kennedy. Her popular newsletter, From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy, covers food culture and her nuanced perspective of food systems is often a reminder of why we created Primary Beans in the first place. As part of her newsletter, Alicia also shares creative and personal recipes, offering candid insights into plant-based cooking from her kitchen in Puerto Rico. As a fellow bean enthusiast and ingredient inquisitor, we were thrilled to chat with her about her take on cooking brothy beans.
Q: What's your cooking vessel preference?
A: I cook my beans in a cherry red Staub Dutch oven that I got deeply on sale, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, considering how evenly it distributes and well it retains heat.
Q: What are your favorite aromatics?
A: I'm very, very simple, because I like to cook beans in large batches and use them for a variety of meals. I stick to just olive oil and salt, and sometimes a twig of rosemary or thyme if they're kicking around.
Q: What are your favorite brothy beans toppings?
A: Calabrian chilies are almost a cop-out of a reply to this, because they're my favorite topping for everything on earth, but it’s definitely Calabrian chilies.
Q: What are your favorite quick things to do with cooked beans?
A: Easy dips, blending the beans up with roasted hearty vegetables and whole cloves of garlic. My favorite is a mellow white bean blended with roasted carrot, garlic, and olive oil. Fennel is also a great addition.
Q: What's your favorite way to serve or enjoy beans?
A: I live to make beans en escabeche – the brothy bean way for folks in tropical or hotter climates. With a combination of vinegar, olive oil, the herbs and sweet pepper of Puerto Rican sofrito, and a topping of stuffed Spanish olives, it's really such a good treat for sharing at barbecues or parties. It has both elegance and big flavor, and is so good scooped up with chips.