You will be hearing more about this but I just had to show you my newest toy. My very special buddies, Stuart and Dean, took a cooking class in Italy this past summer where the instructor used a glass beaker to cook his beans. Stuart knew that I would love to experience this so, once home, went on a hunt to find the glass. And last week he surprised me with the gift. I researched this cooking method and found that it has evolved from hearth cooking whereby a bean-filled crock was placed in the embers at the end of the evening so that the beans would slowly cook all night in the warmth of the ash and hearth. As years passed and cooks abandoned the hearth for the stovetop, this glass beaker took the place of the crock. I couldn’t wait to try my Tuscan bean cooker although I couldn’t believe that the glass would not break on the stovetop. I soaked some dried red beans that I had on hand for the trial and then put them to cook with olive oil, garlic, herbs, and water. It took a few hours over very low heat, but the glass didn’t break and the beans were soft and creamy. I can’t wait to begin cooking white beans in the Tuscan manner this coming week. I will keep you posted on how my recipes work.
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