Tom Phipps Brothy Beans
Tom Phipps Beach Pebbles have a great story you'll be telling at the dinner table as you ladle spoonfuls of these delectable brothy beans. This one pot dish is simple to prepare and an invitation to slow down. Pull out a good book, watch a movie or start a game of cards because there's nothing to do but add some water to the pot every now and again. Your patience will be rewarded with silky beans enrobed in umami rich broth that you'll want to lick off the plate.
The Legendary Tom Phipps Beach Pebbles
Fifth Crow Farms is keeping this unique local variety, and the legacy of Tom Phipps alive. Tom started farming in 1969, growing
artichokes in the cool foggy climate of California’s central coast. It was a desire to farm without pesticides that converted Tom into a bean-thusiast. He grew over 60 varieties of beans organically in Pescadero, California. People traveled far and wide to purchase his beans from the famed Phipps Country Store. He was so well known for his heirloom beans that the New York Times wrote an article about he and his wife, Valerie in 1997. The Phipps supplied restaurants like Chez Panisse with their amazing beans. One of his most popular was a variety that he cultivated himself. He called them Pebble Beans because they resembled beach pebbles. After Tom passed away his neighbors at Fifth Crow Farms wanted to keep the memory of Tom and and his beloved Pebble Beans to live on.Tips For Brothy Bean Perfection
Overnight Soak I don't often recommend soaking beans, particularly small ones like these but I found that Tom Phipps Beach Pebbles are a somewhat firm bean that benefits from the extra soaking time, producing a much more creamy bean.
Don't Skip the Kombu. With natural glutamates to enhance flavor and an enzyme that helps make beans more digestible its your bean bff!
Salt The Water. The best bean texture comes from salting the water when you soak and when cooking. This two step salting breaks down the outer skin on the beans allowing them to plump up without breaking apart.
Finish With Acid. Never put tomatoes, citrus or vinegar on your beans until they are fully cooked. Acid makes beans firm up. BUT always finish your brothy beans with a squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar to brighten all of the flavors.
*A Note On Our Recipes:
Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.
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Brothy Beans
Lisa Riznikove
Side Dish
Easy, mouthwatering heirloom beans in a luxurious broth so delicious you'll want to drink it.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Tom Phipps Beach Pebbles
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
- 1 4 inch strip of Kombu
1 Caribbean Bay Leaf
- 1 head of garlic halved crosswise
- 1 small onion quartered
fresh herbs (sprigs of rosemary, thyme, parsley, etc)
- 1 parmesan rind
Directions
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in 4 cups of water. Add the beans and soak overnight or up to 24 hours on the countertop. (You can skip this step but you’ll need to cook longer and make sure the simmer is very low so that the beans don’t break before becoming silky.)
Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven over medium hight heat. Place the onion and garlic, cut side down in the oil and cook until browned.
Drain the beans but don’t rinse. Put the beans, the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil, the remaining teaspoon salt, 6 cups of water, and all remaining ingredients in the pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a low simmer.
Check the beans every 30 minutes, adding water as needed and checking the texture. DO NOT STIR THE POT. If you stir the pot you risk breaking the beans. You can give it a gentle shake if you must but you really don’t need to do anything at all. How long will depend on many factors so watch the pot not the clock but expect this to take a good hour or two with soaked beans and 2-3 hours for un-soaked beans.
When the beans are silky and creamy in texture remove the Caribbean bay leaf, garlic, onion, herbs and kombu and discard (compost please). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Top with chopped parsley or other herbs and serve with crusty bread and slices of lemon.