Runner Bean ideas please

[Alexandria Profile]

Gil,

Lovely Market in Coñil.

The name on the poster is definitely "colloquial & medieval ".

Pias = religious devotion referring to The Lent (Cuaresma) ..

These Green Runner beans are eaten during the 40 days before the Holy Week of Easter up until Easter Sunday ..


I asked my Dear and we both asked our parents and grand parents ..


It is the name used in Coñil, Cádiz but have never seen in Catalunya or Madrid Captial or northern Spain ..


And in the North (Navarra and La Rioja, and the Basque Country) they are the color of red onions (magenta with some green patterns of splashes and vice versa, green with magenta splashes) !!!


Time to prepare our suitcases as we are flying back home Monday morning ..

Have a nice evening .. Thank you for the video link ..

[MariaK Profile]

Apologies for causing a slightly heated debate over types of green beans. That wasn't my intention at all.

You started a perfectly legit thread asking for recipes for your runner bean glut. What’s to apologise for? If someone got a bit carried away with explanations it is certainly not your fault or that of those who try to set the record straight.

I think they are called pias/ pias de conil? Would that make more sense to you?
They are a paler green bean.
But they do taste greener to my mind.

Gill, those Conil beans (Habichuelas pías de Conil (sic) a local heritage variety of broad bean) are delicious and more tender than most other runner beans. They are picked before the seeds develop, so mostly pods - As for the name there’s nothing “antiquated” or “pious” about it and “definitely [not] colloquial & medieval”. Nor is it in any way connected to Roman occupation or Latin, but comes from the French: un cheval /une vache pie – a piebald horse /cow.
In Spanish dictionary : pío/ pía (Del fr.pie, urraca[magpie])
adj. Se aplica a la caballería que tiene el pelo blanco con manchas de otro color.
i.e. refers to horses having a white coat with patches of a different colour.

Re: Runner Bean ideas please
by Member 461 » Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:55 pm

Gil,

Lovely Market in Coñil.

The name on the poster is definitely "colloquial & medieval ".

Pias = religious devotion referring to The Lent (Cuaresma) ..

These Green Runner beans are eaten during the 40 days before the Holy Week of Easter up until Easter Sunday ..

I asked my Dear and we both asked our parents and grand parents ..

It is the name used in Coñil, Cádiz but have never seen in Catalunya or Madrid Captial or northern Spain ..

Member 461,
Might I suggest you take another look at the link Gillthepainter posted
http://cadizgusta.blogspot.com/2016/05/ ... conil.html
and read the paragraph between the photo of the garlic and the beans.

And this explains how they got their name – not piety but patches of different shades of pale green, though not really noticeable in the photos.
http://www.cosasdecome.es/agenda/ya-hay ... elas-pias/

Strictly:
As it’s recipes you were after and we’re in Cadiz here’s a local variation on Spanish potato omelette.
Cook some runner beans as usual – or use deliberate “left overs”
Poach the potatoes in olive oil. When done drain off excess oil and reserve. Pour a little of the oil back into the pan and add some chopped or sliced onion(I use more than most) and a sprinkling of salt. When semi-done to your taste add the beans and stir fry. Allow to cool a bit while you beat the eggs. Add spuds, onions beans to the eggs + salt & pepper, give it a good stir and set aside for a bit so the potatoes soak up the eggs. Not traditional, but I like to add some chopped parsley.
I also find it’s easier to use two frying pans – a large one for the potatoes, onions etc and a smaller one (aprox 20-22 cm) for the tortilla.
All the best
Marja

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Marja!
My God you're always good at this. I love it when you show up.

Lucky you, your being in Cadiz. We liked it so much last year, we are now focusing our sights on Cadiz for those summer holidays.
We stayed outside the city walls, and walked the 2k regularly each day into the town.
And ate sherry soaked meals in the temporary beach restaurants, watching the sun go down remarkably slowly.

In fact, I sold my 1926 Rolex watch that no longer ran (Fellows if anyone is interested) at a Birmingham auction whilst we were there, and was able to extend our stay by 6 nights on the money.
Booking into the spa hotel on the Plaza.

If you are still there next year, we might even get to say hello one of these days - but I know you move around a lot.

I must make your tortilla. Local tortilla variations are always particularly pleasing to come across.

[MariaK Profile]

Gill,

Just a quick note as loads to do. I'm at home, not in Cadiz, but you reminded me of those beans. Have you tried them? Alas, they have a very short growing season - just April & May, so not available in Summer.
If you do go back next Summer do let me know in advance as Monsieur knows Atlantic Andalusia very well - it was his research (geomorphology - or to put it simply coastal and estuarine landscape change) area for years and he still gets invited back.

Tortillas: Have you tried courgettes? Very light. Slice and lightly brown in oil in a frying pan or, as I did a few days ago, put in a bowl and zap in microwave briefly with a pinch of salt. Drain very well and proceed as usual. No potatoes, but IMO onions are a must. Can add a few strips of roast, peeled red pepper for colour.
Just north of the Andalusian border, Ciudad Real, they add fried green peppers (the long thin ones, green bell peppers tend to be a bit brash) to the standard Potato tortilla. Split in two lengthways, get rid of seeds etc and fry briefly while the spuds are soaking in the beaten eggs. When ready pour half the egg & potato mix into the frying pan , put your pimientos fritos on top and then add the rest of the eggy stuff.

Clare - apologies for the deviation. Just as well we're not on Just a minute!!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Very very lovely ideas, Marja. And I can practise my tortilla pan flipping once again - I've never slipped and dropped one yet.
I shall be in contact for definite when we next plan our Andalusian jaunt. Especially if we can approach our stay with such an alternative view.

Twould give Tony something to get his teeth into nicely.

And to answer your question, no I haven't tried them.
I didn't know anything much about them, until I dropped onto the blog post.

Sorry Clare ............... back to those runner beans.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Mariak:
So nice to "see" you again!

Tortillas: Have you tried courgettes?

I have. Run, Gill, do not walk, to your nearest Farmer´s market and but some small courgettes - then make this tortilla. Una maravilla! It´s wonderful. Thanks for reminding me!

[Alexandria Profile]

Today I bought 2 kilos of magenta red & green patterned Runner / Roma Green Beans which were delivered from Asturias, in Northern Spain on the Bay of Biscay and are cultivated in the Picos de Europa Mountain Valleys ..


Snapped a quick photograph when I was in the Le Mercat de La Boqueria ..


Busy at office now, Have a nice day ..

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Gill, do not walk

Right you are, Karadekoolaid. (that's a running courgette I believe)

[karadekoolaid Profile]

that's a running courgette I believe)

If you say so. Looks like a constipated cucumber to me!

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Hi Maria K

Thank you so much for your tortilla ideas, they both sound wonderful! . We love Spanish tortillas and Italian fritattas in the Strictly household. We may just be making one now because we will have lots of eggs and potatoes to use up before we go on holiday next Friday.

Your lovely comments were also welcome. I just wanted to nip any potential bickering in the bud!

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

I got stung on one of my fingers by a wasp whilst picking some more beans yesterday evening. It was obscured by one of the large leaves leaf so I didn't see it. It was so painful that I had to go back inside to nurse my finger! Ouch! . It's still a little uncomfortable this morning but the pain lasted for several hours.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I hope your finger's better, Stricters. It can be quite a shock to get a sting like that.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Thank you Gill, it's fine now. Yes it was a shock, probably for both of us, i.e. me and the wasp!