Look for pods that seem tightly filled with plump beans and store them, loosely wrapped, in the refrigerator.
The plump beans are cooked down until soft, though they retain their shape, and are deliciously smoky, flavored with bay leaf, cilantro and a rotating cast that has included onions, olives, plantains and even pumpkin.
Most dishes come with bountiful portions of rice and beans; the plump red beans seemed to have more flavor than the traditional Cuban black beans.
The 10-cup kettle reaches a boil in 7 minutes 40 seconds, pours cleanly and has a plump jelly bean look that makes it the iMac of kitchen appliances.
WINTER FRUIT SALAD Time: 15 minutes plus overnight chilling 1 1/4 cup sugar 3 star anise 1 plump vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise 2 2-inch long pieces lemon zest (peeled with a vegetable peeler), preferably Meyer lemons 3 firm Bosc pears 1 firm tart apple 8 dried Turkish apricots, cut in half 4 dried figs, quartered.
All arrived on corn tortillas (instead of flour, for gluten-free diners), plumped with bean sprouts, lettuce, and radish.
I was especially taken with an arugula salad crowned with three huge Maya prawns (heads on), slices of portobello mushroom, asparagus spears and plump white beans.
Piles of golden beets, plump green beans and crisp green and red lettuce lay in front of her, waiting to be rinsed and loaded into a dusty white van.
The chili is made with plump kidney beans, and bits of mild peppers and onions.
Look for plump, crisp beans which are not slimy, limp or stringy.
