Greens and beans: a perfect spring pairing
EASY MEALS
Whether you stay classic (kale and lentils) or get creative (mâche and mizuna, scarlet runner and Italian cannellini), the interplay of flavors and textures will make you wilt.
BENEATH a thatch of wilted dandelion greens, the Christmas lima beans spill out, earthy and enticing, their pretty speckled markings still faintly visible after a few hours in the pot. This is the brilliant architecture of a taco so tasty that it might just replace carne asada in your dreams.
And if you cook the beans ahead, it's a simple supper built with ease and grace. Sauté dandelion greens or arugula in a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Then grill a stack of corn tortillas and stir together a bowl of spicy salsa verde and you have everything you need for dinner. The beans have a wonderful texture, vaguely reminiscent of classic refried beans yet with a nutty, almost meaty taste. And the greens, still faintly spicy after a few minutes in a hot pan, are redolent of the garden they've so recently left.
Greens have a certain brightness that contrasts beautifully with shell beans. The emerald leaves unfurl with possibilities, while the beans, toothsome and earthy, seem to reference the ground they both came from. Together, they create a balance -- of flavors and textures, colors and even temperatures.
As spring hits its stride, finding greens to experiment with has never been so much fun. Sure, there are the classics, such as collards and mustard greens, kale and spinach. But take a quick walk through the farmers market stands and produce aisles and you'll see small forests of delicate mâche and mizuna, spicy arugula and dandelion greens. And they're tender this time of year, tied into bunches as if caught midway between an earthbound fragility and the vertical jump of mature growth.
Pair these greens, whether subtle or assertive, with some of the heirloom dried beans and legumes that are becoming increasingly available: Anasazi and Vaquero; marrow beans and scarlet runner beans; French flageolets and Italian cannellini; black Calypso and yellow-eye beans. Or homey standbys such as chickpeas, lentils and field peas.
A warm salad gets its inspiration from the Southern pairing of black-eyed peas and mustard greens but takes a distinctly California turn with the addition of baby salad greens. Cook black-eyed peas until tender (they'll require less cooking time than other beans, maybe half an hour), then toss a generous amount of spicy mustard greens in the same pot that you've cooked some bacon. The mustard greens will cook down in the bacon fat, wilting to a perfect texture.
