Rajmah beans

The bean bins at Phipps Ranch

Rajmah beans

   sauteed onions

   olive oil, salt

   curry spices

   kidney beans

   diced tomatoes

   any chopped green, i.e. chard, kale, cilantro

Hi Winnie and Steve,

I often feel drawn to something that expresses a soulful simplicity in my eyes.  I think that is part of the attraction to grains, beans and greens.  It's almost like the simple dishes are a metaphor for a simpler life.  The dish can be quite basic or elemental, yet the taste and satisfaction and richness are deep.  I felt this while watching the Charlie Rose program on television the other day.  The soulful author in this case, Martha Sherrill, was being interviewed on her new book, "Dog Man:  An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain."  The story she presented about an older man in Japan fascinated me, and I have just started reading the book.  In the opening pages she says, "We yearn for the company of dogs because they return us to an ancient way of life, vanishing now.  It is the power of the natural world to reacquaint us with our quieter selves, the part now buried alive in the noise and glare of modern life and the new habit of nonstop connection with others."

I knew you would appreciate this thought because of the simplicities you have always cherished.  I sometimes go to Phipps Ranch and slowly take in the beauty of the beans in the bins, and of course I always come home with a couple of varieties.  I had a dish in India called Rajmah beans -- made from kidney beans.  It is a standard around our house.  Love that curry! If you don't have time to soak beans and cook them, I think this dish tastes great made from organic canned kidney beans also.  I imagine the dish could be on the table in 15 minutes start-to-finish. It is a nice reminder of a country I love.

Thinking of you.  Donna