1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon Rancho Gordo Castillo Spanish Pimenton (optional) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 4 cups baby spinach 1 1/2 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo Black Garbanzos or Classic Garbanzos 1/4 of a white...

Our friend Emily Nunn is a People of The Bean. Her clever Department of Salad newsletter is an endless font of salad wisdom. She's written an ebook for Rancho Gordo, and she's a constant inspiration for better and better salads. She is an advocate for this delicious version of Ranch...

Steve made this super simple, flexible salad for an Instagram Live episode and we got some requests for the full recipe. Ta-da! Note that Steve used pre-cooked Spanish chorizo, which is different from the fresh Mexican-style chorizo that needs to be cooked first.  2 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo Garbanzo Beans 1 cup chopped...

Hoppin’ John has a fascinating history, with many regional variations – too many to count. One difference is the variety of field peas used. A lot of Southerners grew up with cowpeas, or “red peas,” in their Hoppin’ John, rather than black-eyed peas. There are also different opinions about bacon versus...

When we think of Black Eyed Peas, we generally think of stews and pork products, so it was fun to experiment with them in a fresh vegetable and herb salad. Black Eyed Peas, especially our new-crop peas, can overcook quickly, so keep an eye on the pot if you are cooking them...

We’ve heard from many customers that their favorite way to enjoy Black Eyed Peas is in “Texas Caviar” or “Cowboy Caviar.” After reading endless recipes calling for canned Black Eyed Peas, canned corn, canned chiles, canned tomatoes, and jarred Italian dressing, we were skeptical about this infamous dish. This version we ended up...

Our original plans to celebrate our 20th anniversary were thwarted by the pandemic. We had planned a major shindig with lots of guests and even a cumbia band, but of course, things just weren't meant to be. Our friends at Valley Bar and Bottle, right on the square in Sonoma,...

I've been following Taffy Elrod on Twitter for a while but I think I noticed her sharp, insightful messages mostly during the pandemic. As we were all trying to figure things out, she was a constant source of sanity. We were excited when Taffy agreed to help us with an...

In the Rancho Gordo library, we have a well-used copy of the book Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy (Rodale, 2014) by Judith Barrett. It includes a handful of recipes that feature cicerchia, Italy's unique, tooth-shaped legume.  Barrett recommends fresh oyster mushrooms as a substitute for the cardoncelli mushrooms that...

Lentils cook very quickly so you don’t have to make a huge batch and then figure out what to do with them. Unsoaked, they cook in about 20 minutes! That’s hard to beat. Obviously, they thrive in hot dishes like soups and stews, but a favorite winter salad has been a...

This recipe comes from our friend who writes the blog My Annoying Opinions. We asked him to create a recipe for our newest garbanzo bean and he outdid himself.  Serves 4 to 6 2 cups Rancho Gordo Desi Chana, or Garbanzo rinsed and soaked overnight (or 8 hours) 1 tez patta (dried Indian...

This is the kind of salad that is often described as a good side dish for roasted meat or chicken but we think it's an excellent dinner in itself. The crunch of the vegetables and the texture of the garbanzos shouldn't be underestimated. Dress and season the salad according to your taste. Start...