◼ Lima beans arrive with the spring and are in season.
Lima beans with
rice:
Sauté a finely chopped onion in extra virgin olive
oil; then, add rice, stir and let sauté some minutes over a low heat. Cover with
water and a pinch of salt. And let simmer.
As I use brown rice and it takes at least an hour to
cook, meanwhile I clean the beans. When the rice is nearly done, add the beans.
If necessary, add (hot) water to cook and rectify the flavor.
I learnt of lima beans through a friend of mine from
Braga four years ago; well, she is from Vieira do Minho (a town near Braga, to
the north of Portugal) and her family has organic crops in that town. She
explained to me how to clean them: you have to remove the skin because it is very tough. It takes a
little time but it is worth it for its delicate flavor.
The ones I knew were cream colored, the ones my mother
bought at that time. When I talked to her about it, she told me that she didn´t
remember the green ones. But, in a few months, she remarked that now they were
also beginning to be seen in the markets and besides, they were publishing many
recipes with them. They must have come into fashion, I thought.
