Jean's Beans: Favorite Recipes from Around the World. Rev. ed.

Christy Conte is a business analyst and entrepreneur in Ajax, Ontario.

Pity the poor bean. It has neither the sex appeal of the nouvelle
cuisine nor the decadence of, say, chocolate. It also bears the burden
of the “good for you” label. Enter Jean Hoare, who seeks to restore
the bean to its rightful place in the culinary hierarchy. Beans are
intriguing, Jean says—adventurous, even. After reading Jean’s Beans
cover to cover and sampling several of the exotic and delectable
recipes, this reviewer stands proud in her new allegiance to the lowly
legume.

Hoare covers all the bean bases: nutrition, history, storage and
preparation, and measurement. Then come the recipes! Beans having been a
staple worldwide since time immemorial, it is not surprising (well, yes,
it is surprising—that’s the charm of this book) to learn that they
can be fried, baked, preserved, pickled, puréed, and even popsicled.

The recipes are divided for easy reference, into categories such as
soups, salads, main courses, vegetarian dishes, and desserts (yes,
desserts). From Sousboontjies (a bean pickle) to Blindhuhn (a German
casserole with pork), this book deliciously demonstrates the bean’s
almost-unlimited versatility, using, for the most part, readily
available ingredients. Each recipe is headed by a note of historical,
cultural, or geographic interest. The recipes are clearly spelled out,
and include both imperial and metric measures.

The only thing that might have made this book still easier to use is a
“bean type” index entry (e.g., LENTILS: Baked Lentils with Cheese,
p. 92; Dhal, p. 100; and so on). No matter, though. Jean’s Beans
scores high as a historical, cultural, and culinary tribute to that
lowly—nay, lovely—legume.