bean there…. done that

There is a story that’s grown up in our family that Anniemay does not cook. This is not entirely true; there are a few occasions when she can be coaxed into the kitchen to take up oven glove and spatula and create. Today is one such day.

Anniemay makes a mean mixed bean and chilli soup. As she’s decided this is now her signature dish, we are getting through a fair number of tins of beans. In the interests of economy and variety, I suggest the dried route. We might be lucky to find three different types of bean in the tins on our supermarket shelves; but the packets of dried beans contain varieties I’ve never heard of - rose cocoa beans, black turtle beans ….

After she’s calmed down, I explain that I’ll prepare the beans - she won’t actually have to soak them. It’ll be just like opening a tin. She’s a lot happier with this, but is still a little suspicious that I am trying to sabotage her best culinary efforts.

I soak the beans overnight and while I’m changing the water this morning I’m struck by the shapes and colours and sizes as they glisten in the sunlight coming through the kitchen window. From now on tinned beans are well and truly canned.