Review – Yellow Eye Beans from Rancho Gordo

Yellow Eye Beans from Rancho Gordo.

A medium-sized bean, very firm. Mild tasting, mild pot liquor.

Cooked in an InstantPot, I used:

• 1 lb Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye beans, dry, not soaked
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 bunch celery, sliced
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3-5 Tablespoons dried parsley
• 2-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1/8-1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8-1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• Enough water to cover all ingredients, but not above the 2/3 fill line

I set the InstantPot for the highest multigrain setting. It will warm the ingredients for 45 minutes, then cook them as a pressure cooker for 60 minutes, then it will spend 20-40 minutes cooling down to the point the pressure will reduce and the lid will open up.

Even with all that, the Yellow Eye beans still turn out with quite a bit of structure (Alubia Blanca beans, by comparison, are almost meltingly tender). They tasted very good, but very mild in a way that’s hard to describe. I don’t remember ever using the phrase “cries out for” when describing an ingredient, but what I really felt when first trying these beans is that they cry out for some savory ingredients as a contrast. Either savory and sweet and sour, like a salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing, or savory and salty like salt pork.

A very good bean — as all Rancho Gordo beans are — but until I figure out a good ham hock recipe or a good bean salad recipe, I’ll probably work my way through some other Rancho Gordo beans before I come back to this one.