NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

May 6, 1999

Prairie Fare: Use the Herb, Then the Word

The titles of a lot of recipes carry the word "savory," to imply a certain sensation the food will produce. But then absent (conspicuously to me) from the list of ingredients for many of these recipes is savory, the herb.

My experience has taught me that using savory in food creates the sensation. Actually, there are two types of savory, summer and winter, and I've been using dried summer savory for years—ever since I discovered that savory goes well with beans. I like beans, even more so with the addition of savory.

I first added savory to a lima bean dish I created, one also featuring toasted almond slivers, diced red bell pepper, garlic and grated lemon peel. The savory seemed to mellow the intensity of the lemon zest while encouraging the essence of almond.

Next, I tried savory in my homemade refried beans. Making refried beans from scratch involves mashing well-cooked pinto beans and then frying the beans. I use lard most often because lard imparts a creaminess to refried beans that is difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate with vegetable oil. Once the mashed pintos have fried, I add generous amounts of dried mustard, chunky salsa and dried summer savory. Despite the competition from the mustard and the salsa, the savory still leaves a distinct impression as the beans melt away in my mouth.

I tried dried summer savory in a batch of chopped chicken liver I made a while ago, and the savory's flavor in this dish reminded of thyme. Some of the information I've gleaned about cooking with herbs compares savory to a cross between thyme and mint, which makes sense because savory is a member of the mint family. I've seen fresh savory in the produce sections of many grocery stores. The fresh version is likely to be available seasonally, but dried savory is available the year round. Of the two types, summer savory is promoted as being the mildest.

Besides beans and liver pate, savory goes well with potatoes, tomatoes, peas, many types of meat, fish, shellfish and poultry, and virtually all egg and cheese dishes. The recipe that follows is one I developed using a salad dressing recipe from the February 1999 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Savory Bean Salad
Yield: 8 servings (about ¾ cup each)

Ingredients:
½ pound bacon
¼ cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 15.5-ounce cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups peas, cooked
1 teaspoon dried savory, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups finely shredded cabbage (optional)
16 cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)

Procedure:
In a large skillet cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp. While the bacon is draining on paper towels, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from skillet (save excess grease for another purpose, or discard). Add water and vinegar to skillet and simmer, whisking frequently. As mixture simmers, crumble bacon into dressing. Add beans, peas and savory and bring back to a simmer for about 1 minute. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately. If desired, place each serving of bean salad atop ½ cup of shredded cabbage and garnish with four cherry tomato halves.

What's Your Take on This, Julie

There are a lot of good reasons to eat cooked dry beans. From a nutrition standpoint, they're nearly fat-free and also a good source of protein, soluble fiber, folacin, iron, phosphorus and potassium. From an economics standpoint, they're inexpensive to buy, plus they're a vital part of the farming economy in North Dakota. From a taste standpoint, they're a versatile ingredient in a variety of recipes.

But some people shun beans due to their tendency to "produce wind." At least that's the Latin definition of "flatus." People who eat beans regularly, however, have little difficulty with intestinal gas. Our digestive systems can adapt to the two indigestible (and harmless) sugars naturally found in beans if we eat them often enough, but there are other ways to decrease these indigestible sugars and the "musical" tendencies of beans. But forget the myth about adding baking soda to the cooking water; the only thing that accomplishes is destroying B vitamins.

Always inspect beans before cooking and remove any broken beans or foreign materials like small stones, then rinse thoroughly in cold water. To reduce the indigestible sugars in beans, bring water and beans (10 cups water to 1 pound of beans) to a boil, then boil for three minutes. Cover the pot and soak for four hours. Drain the soak water, add fresh cold water to cover beans, and then simmer the beans until tender. You may add salt or oil if desired. One cup (about ½ pound) of dry beans yields 3 cups cooked.

Ingredients that are high in calcium (such as milk products) and acid (such as tomatoes and vinegar) can prevent beans from becoming tender during cooking. Add these ingredients after the beans are soaked and fully cooked. Even excessively hard water that is high in minerals such as calcium can affect the tenderness of beans.

A meal combining a cereal like rice and beans creates a complete protein—with all the essential amino acids or building blocks of protein. In fact, beans are found in the meat group on the Food Guide Pyramid because they're an excellent protein source. One cup of cooked beans is equal to a serving of meat.

Another way to help your digestive system adapt is to eat cooked dry beans a couple times a week or more. Here's a tasty recipe to try. A serving of Savory Bean Salad (about ¾ cup) contains 325 calories and 14 grams of fat, plus about 45 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin C, 40 percent of the recommended folacin and 20 percent of the recommended iron. One final thought: Bacon grease is high in saturated fat, so you may want to think twice before you save the excess bacon grease this recipe produces.

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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 and Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

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