I mentioned a few days ago about my recent Ranch Gordo purchase (heirloom beans). The beans are beautiful and I don't have the heart to put them away in my pantry yet so they sit out, on full display, on my kitchen counter. When I pass by them (which is like a billion times a day), I pick up one of the bags and sigh with great admiration (and perhaps a little love). I'm telling you, I never quite understood the big deal about beans but I'm definitely an admirer now! Lovely little buggers, they are! (I think I can now say, officially, that I'm a kitchen geek.)

So Saturday night as Emmett and I were discussing plans for our hike the next day, I told him I was going to make the Ojo de Cabra beans. Our hike was going to be a tough one and I knew I'd come back physically exhausted. Plus, the drive to the trailhead was going to take about an hour on the 210. When the 210 became almost as evil as the 405, I'm not sure. But I hate it. So in addition to coming back spent, I will have accumulated much more time than I would like to on a Southern California freeway on a Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, I was looking for an easy meal.

Come on...you have to admit these Ojo de Cabra (goat's eye) beans are beautiful!

According to Rancho Gordo, all you have to do with his beans is throw them in your slow cooker with a little water and maybe some onions sautéed in (gulp) lard, set the slow cooker on high in the morning and then come back in the evening for a delightful experience with cooked beans. And that's exactly what I did. Sort of. There was no lard involved (I used canola oil instead) and in addition to the onions, I also sautéed a little serrano pepper (I had an extra one sitting around...jalapeno would be fine too).

The lovely Ojo de Cabra beans with onion and serrano pepper in my blue-walled crockpot (who would have thought a crockpot could be so pretty?)

My plan was simple: the beans, corn tortillas, and a salad with a lime-ginger vinaigrette. Oh, and a very nice Pinot Grigio too.

Rancho Gordo is right: his beans are wonderful on their own. I could have eaten the whole pot by itself. They were so full of flavor and their texture was out of this world. Lovely. Simply lovely. Amazing really, if you think about it. It's just beans. And yet, so much more!

After my first bowl of "just beans" (pushed onto my spoon with a corn tortilla, of course), I served up my second bowl topped with heirloom tomatoes from the Farmer's Market and fresh avocado. Just as delightful. For me, there is nothing more beautiful than a simple dish that allows crisp, distinct flavors to dance with your taste buds. I think too many people, especially when cooking at home, feel that the more complicated the dish, the more spices and ingredients they can combine, the better. We've forgotten the pure joy, and powerfulness, of simplicity (not just in the kitchen, but in other areas of our lives as well).

Emmett gets ready to enjoy the simple pleasures of "just beans."

With this in mind, I was fully enjoying the last bean in my bowl (that sounds like a cool name for a ska band...Last Bean in My Bowl...doesn't it?!) when I remembered another little delightful treasure I had bought (and blogged about) a while back: infused salt from Saltistry.

Back to the crockpot for a third time, I ladled up one more scoop of beans and then turned to my Saltistry Sampler package. With seven different infused salts to choose from, I thought it was going to be a tough decision to make. But it wasn't. When my eyes hit the Smoked Chili Salt, I dove in. (FYI: the Smoked Chili Salt is AWESOME on scrambled eggs too.)

With the Rancho Gordo beans decorated with a little Saltistry salt, I brought the spoon to my mouth. Oh my. There was some serious some dancing going on. OUTSTANDING. Hands down, my favorite combination. (Sorry, no picture here. I was too busy eating...and eating and eating and eating!)

Emmett just called to let me know he'll be home for dinner tonight. I plan on making the salad again (which was wonderful as well...I'll have to share the recipe in another blog entry) and having the last of the beans. This time, I'm putting out all seven of the infused salts I have from Saltistry...and we're going to mix and sample and discuss and rate and, most importantly, enjoy all the flavors...one at a time. Oh, and have fun doing it too.