Cranberry bean salad with roasted carrots and Mojo de Ajo
Abra Berens describes the featured ingredient in this recipe from “Grist”:
Icame to know cranberry beans in the kitchen at Petersham Nurseries under the tutelage of Skye Gyngell. She called them by their Italian name, borlotti beans. Similar to a pinto bean, cranberry beans are a medium-size bean with mottled pink and white coloring. They can be cooked from dried or fresh, pulled straight from their long pods, and any bean can be substituted if you remember that the cooking time of the bean is directly correlated to the size and freshness of the bean at hand. Note that this makes a good deal more Mojo de Ajo, which is a welcome addition to most any meal, including smashed beans on toast, in case you batch-cooked the beans.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried cranberry beans
1 onion (about 8 oz), cut into chunks (optional)
10 sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle (optional)
3 bay leaves (optional)
1 tsp salt, plus more for the carrots
2 lbs. carrots, cut in half olive oil chili flakes (optional)
1 recipe Mojo de Ajo (recipe follows below)
10 sprigs cilantro, stems and leaves roughly chopped
½ cup pepitas, toasted
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot, cover the beans with water by 2 in. Add the onion, thyme, and bay leaves (if using). Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender (anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, depending on whether the beans have been soaked and their freshness).
2. When the beans are tender, add the salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove the herbs and discard.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C]. Toss the carrots with a glug of olive oil, a couple pinches of salt, and a pinch of chili flakes (if using). Roast the carrots until deeply caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside, about 40 minutes.
4. To serve, spoon a heaping serving of cooked beans per person into a bowl and gently fold in ¼ cup of mojo de ajo per serving.
5. Transfer the beans into a serving dish or individual bowls, portion the carrots evenly among the serving dishes, and garnish with the chopped cilantro and a handful of pepitas.
MOJO DE AJO INGREDIENTS
1 cup neutral oil
20 garlic cloves (4 oz), peeled and left whole
2 sprigs oregano
3 limes (about 4½ oz), zest and juice
1 orange (about 3 oz), zest and juice salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, and oregano in a small ovenproof pot. Bake for 45 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Alternatively, stew on the stove over very low heat, checking on it regularly. Allow to cool.
3. Remove the oregano sprigs, squeezing any oil clinging to the leaves back into the pot.
4. Add the citrus zest and juice and a couple of pinches of salt. Stir to combine, lightly smashing the garlic cloves with the back of the spoon to make a thick, oily sauce.
Reprinted from “Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes” by Abra Berens with permission from Chronicle Books, 2021. Photographs © EE Berger.