Ayocote Morado from North America
It was love at first sight...
From £7.45 GBP
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These small, dense orbs produce a beefy bean broth. An essential part of Californian cuisine, they’re the heart of a steak-centric barbecue - yet perfectly at home in meatless meals. The Heirloom Bean Co sources these and a range of other Phaseolus beans from North American bean specialist Rancho Gordo, founded in the early 2000s by Steve Sando to preserve and promote traditional and rare bean varieties of the Americas. |
Santa Maria Pinquitos produce a superior pot broth and stay somewhat firm. Ideal for chili and barbecues, or borrachos (beer-braised ‘drunken beans’). Don't forget them for salads!
This lovable heirloom is loaded with Californian history. Until recently it was thought that Santa Maria "Pinks" arrived in the 1950s with Mexican migrant citrus workers, but there’s now some evidence that they were first grown on the US west coast by 18th-century Spanish missionaries.
Images & cooking instructions © Rancho Gordo Inc.
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Kitchen Suggestions
Santa Maria-style barbecue, salads, soups, pot beans, chili, casseroles, baked beans, dips. Classic Santa Maria country barbecues include Pinquitos and ramp-tail sirloin steak. These characterful beans don't need doctoring up! Just add some onions, garlic, a little fat, and your pot of beans is ready for summer, and beyond.
Cooking these beans - the Rancho Gordo method
Check beans for debris, and rinse thoroughly. In a large pot, sauté aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, celery, carrot etc.) in olive oil. Add beans and enough water to cover by about 2 inches/5cm. Bring to a full boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, using a lid to help regulate the heat, and gently cook until done, 1 to 3 hours. Salt when beans start to soften. A pre-soak of 2 to 6 hours will lessen the cooking time.
Recipe ideas
Rancho Gordo’s Santa Maria–Style Beans with Medjool Dates
Rancho Gordo’s Pinquito Bean and Celery Salad with Lemon Dressing
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Ingredients
Santa Maria Pinquito Beans
Similar to: Buckeye, King City Pink
Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Country of origin: USA
Sold in resealable 1lb (453g) bags
