Alubia Blanca from North America
A small white bean with vast...
From £7.45 GBP
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Butter beans are also known as Lima beans, as they’re thought to have originated in Peru. But these beautiful, marbled butter beans look like no others! 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. |
A visually intriguing twist on the classic butter-bean theme, offering a rich, full-bodied flavour, with a velvety chestnut texture. In Italy, you'll find them as Fagioli del Papa, or Pope's Beans. Also known stateside as Chestnut Lima, and sometimes Calico Beans, these beguiling beauties - deep purple splashed with festive snowy swirls - are descendants of the OG butter beans, Phaseolus lunatus, that were first cultivated in the Andean foothills some 6,000 years ago.
Images & cooking instructions © Rancho Gordo Inc.
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Kitchen Suggestions
Succotash is a word most of us over here have only heard in the lyrics to Groove is in the Heart, but it’s a classic US beans-and-sweetcorn dish (best with chilli, basil, mint and garlic) that Christmas Limas are made for. Pleasingly, their beautiful patterning survives a long simmer - also recommended to take these beans beyond the slight graininess that can be detected in most undercooked butter beans, and into the realm of moreish creaminess. Christmas Limas can stand up to dominant flavours, like a chili sauce or curry, and pair brilliantly with umami-rich mushrooms and cheeses.
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 Christmas Limas with Marinated Artichoke Hearts
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Ingredients
Christmas Lima Beans
Similar to: Scarlet Runner, Large White Lima, Ayocote Morad
Latin name: Phaseolus lunatus
Country of origin: USA
Sold in resealable 1lb (453g) bags
