Get Stuffed

The real people’s food and Labour Day go hand-in-hand

I’m not sure exactly what labour activist Peter McGuire had in mind when he proposed the first Labour Day in 1880-something. To me it’s some kind of pathetic reminder – here, here’s a little token holiday just to rub it in that you’re about to work your butt off for the next 40-odd weeks before the golden prospect of summer and holidays rolls around again.

Given that Mr. McGuire was president and founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America the official version, of course, is that he and his cronies were into honoring the working class (originally the day's rituals included picnics, fireworks, speechmaking and a parade of working men).

But those loyal trade unionists must also have had a streak of hedonism in them, for they’ve gone down in history as intentionally choosing the first Monday in September because it was halfway between the Fourth of July and American Thanksgiving – "a most pleasant time of year" – and it would fill a gap in the chronology of legal holidays. In other words, it gave poor working sods one more kick at the summer cat before heading off to the salt mines. So you can see I wasn’t too far off the mark.

Now Labour Day has lost its original meaning. Basically, the September long weekend has turned into a marathon for desperately cramming in as many fun summer activities as possible before autumn settles in with its mantle of work, school and general all-round seriousness.

But to put the "labour" back into Labour Day for one brief moment, if there’s any food that represents us working class sods, it’s got to be beans. Think of the archetypal images of hobos during the Depression or cowboys out on the range, or a bunch of hungry loggers on lunch break cooking a tin of beans over a crackling campfire.

For the better part of civilization, beans (or more correctly, legumes, which include peas, lentils, etc.) have been a staple in countless cultures, especially where animal protein is scarce. They are nutritious, easy to grow and store, versatile to use and, invariably, inexpensive. Ergo their low status.

To help you get over that – the status thing – I’ll tell you a little story. Legumes lent their names to some of the finest families in ancient Rome: the faba (fava) bean generated Fabius; lentils begat Lentulus; chickpeas, Cicero; and peas, Piso.

Forget the Atkins diet (well, apparently a lot of people are, finally). If you want to get healthy, go on a bean diet. Beans are super low in fat and contain a huge amount of fibre, iron and protein. They aren’t quite a complete protein, but if you add grain or a little animal protein like eggs or cheese you’ll get the right balance. Besides, most of us lucky Canadians get way too much protein in our diet anyway, so it’s not really a concern.

If you’re worried about the legendary flatulence that goes along with beans, here are a few tips that might ameliorate the aftermath. Try eating smaller portions of them. Some swear by cooking beans only in earthenware containers, or serving them with alkaline vegetables like chicory, spinach or chard.

Game to get beaned? Below are two of my all-time favourite recipes for beans. Both produce delicious results that belie their working class status and how easy they are to prepare (who cares if one uses tinned beans?). Don’t wait for your next campfire or even another Labour Day to serve them.

Mom’s Patio Baked Beans

Preheat your oven to 350º. Mix together in a saucepan and heat over low for 5 minutes:

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. instant coffee

1 tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

In the meantime, thinly slice a fair-sized onion, then arrange it in a 2-qt. casserole in alternate layers with 2 large (20 oz.) or 3 small tins of baked beans (or pork ’n’ beans, as we used to call them). Pour over the hot sauce; cover and bake 45 min. Now comes the fun part: stir in 1/4 c. cognac (dark rum will do) and place 4 slices of bacon cut into 1-inch pieces on top. Bake for another 30 min. without a lid. Serves 6 to 8.

Add a crisp green salad and some good bread and you’ve got a great meal for company. If anyone complains about beans, just pour them a cognac.

Frijoles

(from Carol Gelles’ 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes )

This recipe is great because it uses the Mexican method of cooking beans (no presoaking) and it’s not heavy with fat. You can use these to stuff burritos, tacos or wraps, or simply serve them on the side or as an entree.

3 c. water

1 c. dry black, pinto or kidney beans (I prefer black beans)

1/2 c. chopped onions

1 tbsp. minced and seeded jalapeños pepper, or more to taste

3 cloves minced garlic, or more to taste

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes

Place the water, beans, onions, peppers, 2 cloves of the minced garlic and the bay leaf in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1.5 hr., or until beans are tender. Stir in the salt and remove bay leaf; simmer 30 min. longer. In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium high. Add tomatoes (if you’re feeling lazy you don’t have to peel and seed them) and remaining garlic. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes soften, about 3 min. Place the tomatoes and 1/4 c. of the beans in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth then return to the bean pot and cook 10 min. longer (again, if you’re lazy like me, you can omit this last step; it works just as well to simply add the tomatoes to the beans and mash them around a bit).