Wow! Dragon tongue beans! We just picked a lovely basket of these long, purple-striped beans from our garden and created the best side dish of Dragon Tongue Beans with Pancetta and farro.
Do you have trouble getting your kids to eat their green beans? Well, bring on those little dragon- slayers and they will devour these Dragon Tongue Beans with Pancetta and Farro.
These beans are not usually found in the produce of your standard grocery store but they are easy to grow in your back yard garden and can also be found in local farmers markets.
Dragon tongue beans are an heirloom French bean that have purple streaks and creamy yellow flesh. They are tender, sweet and meaty beans that do not have any tough fibrous strings. This makes them great for snacking on raw and the beautiful purple striations make a stunning presentation on a raw vegetable tray.
Sadly, once cooked, the purple streaks fade away and you are left with a pale yellow bean. Not that there is anything wrong with a yellow bean but if your expecting to have that vibrant purple on your plate, it just wont happen once you cook the beans. The flavor however, does not fade. These are incredibly delicious beans. We have combined them with some crispy pancetta, shallots and nutty einkorn wheat berries for a flavor explosion.
(Below photo shows uncooked dragon tongue beans next to a dish of dragon tongue beans with pancetta and farro)
This recipe is fast and easy. You can cook the wheat berries and blanch the beans up to three days in advance then quickly throw this dish together 15 minutes before serving dinner.
Farro is a term that refers to three different ancient wheat species: spelt, emmer and einkorn. We used einkorn wheat berries in this recipe. Einkorn is the most ancient wheat and is considered the “mother of wheat”. It’s chromosomal structure has remained unchanged and has survived history in it’s original form. Check out this article for the nutrition values of einkorn and this article about the reasons einkorn is easier to digest than regular wheat.
Check out these recipes:
- Einkorn Coconut Curry Risotto
- Confetti Quinoa
- Roasted Emmer and Winter Squash Risotto
- Sprouted Brown Rice Pilaf
