What’s Not to Soak?

The home cook should always have dried beans in the pantry. Like pasta, beans are easy to cook, inexpensive, soothing and satisfying to eat, and they can be prepared in a variety of ways for different flavors and different textures.

Lately I’ve been asked whether it’s necessary to soak dry beans before cooking. I’m not sure why this question deserves much attention because soaking beans is hardly more effort than getting a drink of water. But, to give a dignified answer, I will say that 70 years ago my mother and grandmother always soaked dried beans, I have always soaked beans, and my daughter wouldn’t cook beans without soaking them.

Until now, I’ve never questioned the value or reason for soaking beans, but for the sake of answering pragmatically, I decided to test soaking and not soaking 1 pound of dried great northern beans.

I put 1 pound of beans in a large bowl and filled the bowl with enough cold water to cover about 2 inches above the level of the beans. They soaked overnight. The next morning, I poured the soaking water and beans into a large pot.

I put the unsoaked beans into another pot and added water to generously cover them. I also added 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt to each pot, turned on the heat and set a timer for one hour. When the timer rang, it was taste time.

The unsoaked beans were intact, very firm and unfriendly. The pre-soaked beans were done (they probably really needed only 50 minutes cooking time), creamy and pleasing to taste.

I continued to cook the unsoaked beans, tasting them for doneness every 20 minutes. It took them a full two hours to cook, and even then they were not the same creamy texture as the soaked beans. They held their shape, which may have appeal to some, but I prefer the creamy ones.

The next day, I made beans again, this time, ham and bean soup, confident in the soundness of my method. For dessert, I rewarded myself with chocolate fudge pie.

HAM AND BEAN SOUP (LOW-FAT COOKING

t. The unusual addition of lemon wedges to the ham and beans gives a light sparkle to the dish. However, if the soup is going to sit for a while before serving or if you have leftovers, remove the lemons before refrigerating.

1 pound (2 cups) dried great northern beans

1 large onion, cut into large chunks

1 1/2 cups chopped celery stalks and leaves

3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 cups cut-up ham or smoked pork butt

1 lemon, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges and seeds removed

Salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Soak beans overnight in water to cover by 2 inches.

Put beans and soaking water, onion, celery, carrots, ham and lemon wedges into large pot. Add water if needed to cover beans. Add 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour. Skim scum from top of soup with large spoon during first 30 minutes of cooking. Taste beans for doneness after 1 hour; they should be tender and creamy. Add more salt if needed. Serve hot.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings:

224 calories; 831 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 3.63 grams fiber.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE PIE

CRUMB CRUST

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (about 30 wafers)

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

FILLING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whipped cream, optional

CRUMB CRUST

Combine crumbs, sugar and melted butter in bowl and stir with fork to moisten all crumbs with butter.

Empty mixture into 9-inch pie plate and pat and press until crumb mixture is distributed evenly on bottom and sides of dish.

Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven on.

FILLING

Cook butter and chocolate in heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beat eggs briskly with fork or whisk. Add sugar, flour, salt and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate mixture and blend well.

Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees until center is gently set and gives slightly when touched, about 30 minutes. The center should not be liquid. Let pie cool and serve with unsweetened whipped cream if desired.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings without whipped cream:

472 calories; 461 mg sodium; 109 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.

* Bowl from Upstairs at Diamond, Diamond Foam & Fabric, Los Angeles.