What is the world’s largest edible bean?
Look that question up on the Internet and you are in for a trip down the rabbit hole.
There is a Guinness record for the World’s Tallest Bean plant. (46.3 feet/2003.)
There is a record for “The largest pot of baked beans.” (1479.36 gallons/Macedonia/2012.)
A man in North Carolina grew a pretty big green bean. (48.75 inches/1996.)
There’s “Largest Bean Bag Chair” and on and on…and on.
World’s largest edible bean? (crickets/2021.)
So, here is an entry: Rancho Gordo’s Royal Corona bean. It is about twice the size of a lima bean and it’s buttery creaminess is a thing to behold. Epicurious calls the bean “the Escalade of beans.”
Here is a recipe to get you started with Royal Corona Beans: Fried Royal Corona Beans With Pearl Barley.
Fried Royal Corona Beans With Pearl Barley
Ingredients
- Salad
- 1 1/2 C. pearl barley (rinsed)
- 3-4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 2 t. ground coriander
- 1 t. paprika
- 2 C. cooked royal corona beans
- 1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley (chopped fine)
- 1 C. baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 C. walnuts (roasted)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (plus an additional squeeze of lemon juice over the salad at the time of serving)
- Salt and black pepper
- Slices of fresh red chili pepper to garnish
- Chili-Herbed Yogurt
- 1 jalapeño (chopped)
- 2 C. Greek yogurt
- 1 small garlic clove (minced)
- 2 T. chopped mint leaves (or dill or parsley--I used mint)
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Cook pearl barley covered in water for about 30 minutes until it is tender but still chewy. Drain. Set aside.
- Step 2 Put garlic, cumin, coriander and paprika in a saucepan with hot oil and fry briefly–about 30 seconds. Add the royal corona beans and stir to coat the beans with the spices. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and fry until the beans are crisp and taking on a bit of golden color. As you fry the beans, you will need to add more olive oil. Set aside.
- Step 3 Make the chili-herb yogurt dressing. Chop the jalapeño into a fine dice. (Reserve the seeds.) Mix the yogurt, garlic, chili, herbs, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. If you want your dressing to be a hotter, mix in the reserved jalapeño seeds or some cayenne pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Step 4 Mix the pearl barley, parsley, spinach and fried beans together and drizzle with some olive oil. Season to your taste with salt and pepper. Mix. Set aside.
- Step 5 To serve, spread the yogurt dressing on a serving plate. Top the yogurt with the bean mixture. Sprinkle roasted walnuts over the salad. Garnish with slices of fresh red chili pepper. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the salad and serve.
- Step 6 Cooks Note: If you don’t have royal corona beans, substitute another white bean.
Here is a link to another Hetty McKinnon-style recipe. This one is also served atop a spicy sauce; this time it is a spinach sauce: Cauliflower With Lentils Salad.
This recipe is adapted from a Hetty McKinnon recipe in her exceptional cookbook Neighborhood. Neighborhood is available through your local bookstore or Amazon. Here is a link to Amazon: Hetty McKinnon’s Neighborhood.
