Ayocote Blanco from North America
A Mexican favourite for more than...
From £7.45 GBP
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Big, beefy runner bean with gorgeous markings. A perennial bean-chef's favourite! 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. |
These beans are firm and stay whole, but you can keep cooking them and they'll go from starchy to creamy. Despite their thick skin, they exude a beautiful bean broth that needs little help to be enjoyed. Scarlet Runners are one of the oldest cultivated foods in the Americas. The edible lipstick-coloured flowers are so pretty that some Californians grow Scarlet Runners for the blooms alone. In our book that’s a crying shame!
Images & cooking instructions © Rancho Gordo Inc.
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Kitchen Suggestions
Pot beans, casseroles, salads, soups, chili. Scarlet Runners are versatile, but we like to serve them with lots of wild mushrooms and a load of roasted garlic for a meaty treat, vegetarian style! Being firm they hold their shape, and thus make a wonderful salad bean.
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 Scarlet Runner and Raw Asparagus Salad
Rancho Gordo’s Scarlet Runner Salad with Radishes and Pomegranate
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Ingredients
Scarlet Runner Beans
Similar to: Ayocote Morado, Ayocote Negro
Latin name: Phaseolus coccineus
Country of origin: USA
Sold in resealable 1lb (453g) bags
