Tomorrow I won't talk about beans. We'll talk about okra, or fried green tomatoes, or peaches, or plums, or my in-laws, or Austin, or pizza, I haven't decided yet. I promise, I'll let off with the beans for some time. Really I do eat other things. But this is just one little area where the South treats a vegan awfully well. As I'm pretty sure I've mentioned repeatedly, there are just so many kinds of beans down here. In flippin' Super Target you can find dried varieties that a California girl had never even heard of, so you can imagine that the farmers market is a giddy treasure trove of tasty little gems right now. I love it.
Also, I love party food. That's why practically that whole pot of fresh lady cream peas was turned into a dip. The beans were already so tasty that they didn't need much doctoring to turn them into a luscious smoky puree. I whirred some with the immersion blender along with a few more shakes of chipotle powder, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch more salt. Topped with a smattering of spring onions, we ate it all week, warm or at room temperature, with chunks of crusty toasted bread, or with fingers scraping the bottom of the bowl when the bread was gone.
I was thinking, wouldn't this be perfect as part of a southern tapas-type meal? I had intended to accompany the beans and bread with a dish of bourbon mushrooms, and wedges of cornmeal crusted fried green tomatoes, a turnip green omelette, and smoked paprika dusted roasted potatoes with melty sweet onions, but our weekend got so busy that it just didn't happen. I think that would make a pretty great party spread though when we get home. So get out your stretchy pants* friends and family of Los Angeles - we're coming home July 5th!
*(That's a quote from Paul's favorite casino buffet billboard - freakin' gross, man.)
