Santa Maria–Style Beans with Medjool Dates
I was gifted a box of dates over the holidays. I was appreciative, but I wasn't prepared to be overwhelmed with joy. These were the best dates I'd ever had!...
Recipes
Roasted Pepper and Royal Corona Salad
Lately, I've been indulging in jars of roasted red peppers from Trader Joe's. But I do roast fresh poblano chiles, often. If I have a couple, I will roast them...
Marcella Beans and Cauliflower in a Lemon Caper Sauce
New York Times contributor Hetty McKinnon recently wrote about Cauliflower Piccata, which on the face of it sounds like a cute way to avoid veal but really, the thought of...
Valley Bar & Bottle Black Garbanzo Hummus
Our original plans to celebrate our 20th anniversary were thwarted by the pandemic. We had planned a major shindig with lots of guests and even a cumbia band, but of...
Buckeye Beans with Roasted Peppers & Pumpkin Seeds
After some noodling around in the kitchen, we came up with this dish featuring our fabulous Buckeye Beans (aka Yellow Indian Woman). Is it a stew? It's not a soup. It's...
How to Cook Beans in the Rancho Gordo Manner
There is not one single method of cooking beans. At its most basic, you want to simmer the pot until the beans are soft. Soaking can speed up the...
Black Caviar Lentils and Potatoes with Crème Fraîche
I've been following Taffy Elrod on Twitter for a while but I think I noticed her sharp, insightful messages mostly during the pandemic. As we were all trying to figure...
Alubia Blanca, Watercress, and Herb Salad
In her seminal book, The Mexican Gourmet, author Maria Dolores Torres Yzabal includes a salad with just half cilantro and half watercress. Steve was intrigued by this and started making...
Yellow Eye and Fennel Casserole
We appreciate fennel most when it's raw and thinly sliced or slowly braised and caramelized. It's an amazing vegetable and our own Rachel Padilla took a fine but somewhat stodgy recipe...
Pasta with Cicerchia and Mushrooms
In the Rancho Gordo library, we have a well-used copy of the book Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy (Rodale, 2014) by Judith Barrett. It includes a handful of recipes...
Lentil and Carrot Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Lentils cook very quickly so you don’t have to make a huge batch and then figure out what to do with them. Unsoaked, they cook in about 20 minutes! That’s...
Polenta with Cranberry Beans and Tomato Sauce
In the Rancho Gordo library, we have a well-used copy of the book Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy (Rodale, 2014) by Judith Barrett, and this recipe is inspired by the book. When...
Fish & Shrimp Stew with Alubia Blanca
The inspiration for this came from the book on Tuscan coastal cooking, Acquacotta, by Emiko Davies (Hardie Grant, 2017). The original recipe calls for clams and no fish, but...
Chana Masala
This recipe comes from our friend who writes the blog My Annoying Opinions. We asked him to create a recipe for our newest garbanzo bean and he outdid himself. Serves 4...
Garbanzo Salad with Shaved Red Onions and Fennel
This is the kind of salad that is often described as a good side dish for roasted meat or chicken but we think it's an excellent dinner in itself. The...