Saturday morning I opened a 1 pound bag of Christmas Lima beans and started them soaking and by late evening they found their way into the crockpot to simmer overnight. I’ve been pretty good at making a pot of beans at least every other week this year and as is our routine, we start with dried beans. This will be our first time to eat this type of bean from my quest to track down exotic legumes.

And now it’s dinner time as we are tucking into these giant beans, these yummy, beefy beans of considerable heft. Cooked with chicken stock, an onion, six slices of bacon, a large can of chopped tomatoes, and a smidge of chile flakes, we are yet again afforded the simple luxury of a dish that anyone in America would find impossible to sit down in a restaurant to enjoy. Other than green beans or beans at a Mexican restaurant, where else can we enjoy a hearty bean dish in this country?

Thanks to the people at Rancho Gordo for making our bean dreams come true, along with the people of Peru for cultivating this variety.