I finally have the Ayocote Negro!
Thanks for the Standing’s reminder! I was trying to explain Country-style ribs to the guy who answered the phone at Marconda but didn’t get far, so I had planned on buying the butt (shoulder) and cutting it up myself. Huntington’s butt was way more expensive, btw.
Found a couple other things I made & think I forgot to post.
Caballero Beans w/Roasted Tomatoes
These were the last of my Caballeros. 
I’ll need to stalk the Mexican Markets now because who knows when RG will have them again.
French Lentil & Tabbouleh Salad
Made with RG Lentils, leftover Tabbouleh & Pickled Beets from the previous nights Zankou Chicken order. I have to get used to cooking lentils, because twice I over cooked them. But! They make great Vegetarian Pâté
Served w/more Zankou leftovers & seared, fatty delicious chunks of Salmon from Dry Dock Fish Co.
For anyone in need of beans, you might want to visit the RG website on Monday the 15th. They will be releasing a lot of new inventory.
TheCookie you might want to check for Caballeros
Oh yay! Bookmarking!
You know you may need some more variety on your menus when you add something new and your husband has been waiting all week for it… Last night… I made a wonderful baked Ziti featuring long ziti noodles we got from Eatly and ricotta from bellweather farms…
“Are we having Puerto Rican Chicken tonight?!”
“You asked on Monday when we were having Puerto Rican Chicken… and I told you… it’s tomorrow night!”
“oh.”
Last week, I put “Puerto Rican Chicken” on our shared dinner list. What is Puerto Rican Chicken… it’s something I’m making up because I caught word that Trader Joes was selling Frozen Tostones. I found them (YAY!). I thought… what would go good with Tostones? I always loved Platacones with saucy stewy shredded chicken. So when I put it on the dinner list, I just called it Puerto Rican Chicken.
“Do you even know what Puerto Rican Chicken is?”
“No… But it’s something different…”
Truth. I also made with some new to us Beans! Rancho Gordo’s Santanero Negro beans from Oaxaca. I was so glad to snag these. I love black beans and these were quite the meaty bean! Not too big. They cooked up lovely! They were the perfect accompaniment with the Puerto Rican Chicken (Which was boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, seared in a LC Braiser, then removed. A TON of sliced red onion and baby bell peppers were added to the braiser and barely softened. Sprinkle on berbere spice mix, a TON of crushed garlic, add chicken back and cup of chicken broth and braise covered for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.)
And how was this eagerly awaited dinner. Quite delicious. Maybe not that Puerto Rican. But P gave it a thumbs up and he loved the beans with it. As for the Tostones. They were okay. I made then in a convection oven and I felt they could have gotten crisper if I had left them in longer than the directions recommended. They probably would be awesome in an air fryer! They also lack a bit of salt (never an issue for me, but P found them a little bland) so when you prep with oil in the oven… sprinkle some salt on it. If you wanna get really fancy… use a garlic salt.
A perfect bite for this may grey weather! If it warms up…the rest will be enjoyed with some Arepa style chicken salad.
–Dommy!
The Bean Club is now open if you’re interested.
You’ll need an access code. I was on the wait list.
Yay! I’m happy for you. I just got notice that my new box has shipped. 
Once again you’re speaking my language. Puerto Rican Chicken! Right up my alley. And! you hipped us to another TJ’s find. Frozen Tostones. I just got the Mushroom Umami Powder!
soldier beans at epicurus are amazing… went really well in the soup yesterday (sourdough discard fritter bonus)
Excited to try these huge beans from Goris in the southernmost province of Armenia. 23 and me just confirmed it to be the area 2 lines of ancestors come from so I’m extra excited
Hello bean-heads, it seems like consensus is that Rancho Gordo beans are where it’s at.
Question from a bean novice: Is there a benefit to cooking with dried beans vs fresh beans?
We have been buying shelling beans from the 2 Peas in a Pod stand at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market recently and love them. It has been so fun to cook through the different varieties that they have. We have especially liked their coco beans (bottom) because they are so creamy and rich in flavor. There is one more bean that I can’t remember the name of that is even creamier, but not as much flavor as the cocos–I think it was something like “Lady something something”, “Duchess something something”, or similar.
Look at those pretties. I’d love to try fresh beans. The pink & white ones look kinda like cranberry beans. I’m not sure what’s the benefit vs dry beans. Shorter cook time?
Yeah, you’re right. Those are cranberry beans. They are so beautiful when you are shelling them.
Each bean has it’s own vivid pink-on-white pattern. But we didn’t find them as creamy or flavorful as the cocos, though.
The top beans from the previous photo were cannellinis.
Here is another shot of the cranberry beans.
Pretty! I feel the same as you. Some love the cranberries, but I think they’re prettier than they taste. Because they’re thin skinned with a mild flavor they do absorb a lot of flavors which is good. I once used them to make baked beans.
Here’s some ideas from Rancho Gordo.
You don’t have to shell dried beans. Fresh beans are only around for a few months. Flavor and texture are different. The best fagioli al fiasco I’ve made were from fresh beans, but I wouldn’t use them for cassoulet.
What Bean of theirs could I use for Navy Bean?
Depends. What dish are you planning to use them in?
navy bean soup.
Try these. RG actually has them in stock. 
The Marcella is good but note they cook really fast.
https://www.ranchogordo.com/products/cassoulet-tarbais-bean?_pos=1&_sid=82f7b1088&_ss=r
These are good but you’ll trip on how big they are, lol, and they take a while to cook.
