Santa Maria–Style Beans with Medjool Dates

Dates and beans may not seem an obvious combo, but in this weird and wonderful dish they get on like a house on fire. Medjools are quite widely available these days, but if you can’t find any use the standard variety

Beans

  • 500g uncooked Santa Maria Pinquito beans

  • 1 onion, halved

  • 5 large garlic cloves, smashed

  • 2 bay leaves

Sauce

  1. 1 large Anaheim chile (hard to find here: a standard green pepper is OK)

  2. 400g smoked lardons

  3. 1 onion, finely chopped (reserve some for garnish)

  4. 4 garlic cloves, crushed

  5. Generous pinch of chilli flakes

  6. 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  7. 1 teaspoon mustard powder

  8. 500g passata

  9. 250ml lager

  10. ½ cup coffee (not too strong)

  11. 5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

  12. Salt and pepper

  13. Crème fraîche for serving (optional)

Serves 6 to 8

Prepare the beans:

  1. Rinse and sort beans. If desired, soak beans in cold water for 4 to 8 hours. Place beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by 3in/8cm. Add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat; let boil for 10 to 15 mins. Lower heat to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, until beans are tender, 45 mins to 2 hours. Add hot water, as needed, to keep the beans covered.

Prepare the sauce:

  1. While the beans are simmering, char the Anaheim chilli (or green pepper) over a hob burner (with tongs!) or under the grill until completely charred. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag (or place in a bowl and cover with a plate) and let sit for 15 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to remove the skin. Finely chop the chilli/pepper and discard seeds and stem.

  2. In a large pan or casserole, cook the lardons over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy and browned, 10 to 20 mins. Using a slotted spoon, transfer one-quarter of the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve for garnishing. Pour out some of the bacon fat, if desired.

  3. In the saucepan, add the minced onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chilli flakes, cumin and mustard powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the passata, beer, coffee, dates, and diced chilli/pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the dates are beginning to break down, 30 to 40 minutes.

Finish the beans:

  1. Drain the beans, reserving 250ml of the cooking liquid. Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Return the beans to the pot. Stir in the sauce and the reserved cooking liquid and cook over low heat until heated through. Season with salt.

  2. Transfer the beans to a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon, white onion, and a spoonful of crème fraîche, if desired. Serve right away.

Recipe by Joan Smith, Rancho Meladuco Date Farm