I like to keep a couple of different types of dried heirloom beans in the pantry for dishes just like this one.  A number of varieties are available these days which is nice, and their names and varied appearances make for a lovely collection.   The  varieties I love best are small white French flageolet beans (the bean best known for being in a traditional cassoulet) and these black and white beans called orca beans.  

Dried beans do take a bit more time to cook than canned beans, but the differences are very obvious in dishes like these.  A quick soak in water over night and then you slowly cook the beans with aromatics, garlic, veggies if you like, white wine perhaps and a liquid to cover until the beans are tender to the tooth but not too mushy.  Here I have stuffed some lovely sweet yellow peppers with the bean mixture and topped them off with crispy Panko for crunch and also, I added in some briny capers for an extra layer of flavor.  This dish would also be nice in a ripe, hollowed-out, baked heirloom tomato.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Tagged: bell peppers, capers, carrots, garlic, heirloom beans, orca beans, panko, stuffed peppers, vegetarian, watercress, white wine, yellow peppers