MAGIC BEANS – The best since Jack found his enchanted beans

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I am sure a lot of my wonderful readers remember this post. It was such a fun post to share with you all and I became a devoted follower of Sue ever since. So, you can imagine my delight when I received this email from her –

Hi Bernadette,

I’m being interviewed by Amie McGraham for her Substack newsletter Cook and Tell and I have mentioned, in the interview, your blog New Classic Recipes and the Magic Beans recipe I gave you and your subsequent suggestion that I make postcards from my kitchen sketchbook pages. I included a link to your blog, and specifically to the Magic Beans blog post.

The interview at Cook and Tell will go live March 14 2023. 

I hope it gets you more readers for your blog!

I wish you the best!

Sue Clancy 

A.M. Sketching (weekly emails containing Clancy’s sketchbook pages) 

I can’t wait to head over to Cook and Tell, amiemcg.substack.com, and read the interview. I hope you will join me and support my friend Sue Clancy.

https://sueclancy.substack.com/

SUE CLANCY’S MAGIC BEANS

Fee-fi-fo-fum!
I smell the blood of an English man.
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.[8]

Hi there,

As a result of posting my claypot recipe, I have become friends with an amazing writer, artist and cook. It seems that claypots are always used by women who are triple threats. Her name is Sue Clancy and she has a very unique and beautiful website, http://sueclancy.com. Sue was gracious enough to share her recipe along with some of her artwork. What follows is Sue’s story.

When I began college at the University of Oklahoma in the mid-1980’s, I didn’t know how to cook. Boxed meals, sandwiches, and cold cereal were my mainstays. I was enrolled in the College of Fine Arts and a student could submit a portfolio of artwork and apply for studio space in a building adjacent to the college. I applied and was approved for studio space and discovered that there I was the only freshman. Everyone else was either a junior or a senior so I became known as “the kid”. 
In the studio building, there was a good-sized kitchen with a large refrigerator, a stove, and a dining table. I began keeping my baloney and cheese on Wonder white bread sandwiches in a labeled brown sack in the refrigerator. 
I hadn’t been a studio resident for a month yet and didn’t really know anyone else. So one day I sat alone at the table eating my sandwich when in came two of the other resident artists. They bustled about and soon joined me at the table. “Hey, Kid, what are you eating?” said one in a decidedly non-Oklahoma accent. 
I admitted to a baloney and cheese on white bread. 
“That’s disgusting!” exclaimed the second in an even more intriguing voice. “Well, what have you got?” I asked, pointing to their exotic-to-me-looking plates. One had hummus and tabbouleh salad she was scooping up with pitas. The other had a black bean salad she was eating with small soft tortillas. All of their food was homemade. They each gave me small portions of their food and my tastebuds were enchanted. I was totally impressed and said so.

They invited me to join their bimonthly Saturday supper potluck club. The way it worked was each club member would take a turn hosting at their dorm room or apartment and we’d each bring a dish to share. If you wanted to learn to make a dish you went early and helped the member cook. Since my kitchen skills were nonexistent, it was agreed that my contributions would be doing cleanup and being a general go-for. (“Hey, Kid let’s have some more forks and napkins over here.”)

The regular members of the supper potluck club came from California, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Vietnam, and India. I was the only person from Oklahoma. All of us were studying some form of the arts: writing, architecture, graphic design, music, or painting. Frequent topics of dinner conversation ran along these lines: How to make it in the Arts, how to sustain creativity as a business, how to deal with misogyny, homophobia, and bigotry, and how to cope with the feast/famine financial aspect of the Arts…as well as talking about food and life.

Quickly I learned to take my sketchbook with me and take notes – including notes on how to cook many of the dishes. After several months of regular potluck attendance, I reread my sketchbook notes, and I noticed that we’d had some form of beans and rice at every dinner. I shared my observations at the next supper club, and we discussed how the ability to cook dry beans (and make rice) is an essential life skill. No matter how poor or rich you are if you have beans and rice you can eat well! 

They each began to help me, over subsequent months, to form a “magic bean method” that would enable me to reliably cook any dry beans: pintos, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans…any dry bean! This is where I got the “Magic Beans” recipes I’ve sketched, typed out, and shared here.

Also discussed at supper club was the best pot to cook beans in. Unanimously a clay olla was named “best bean pot” because of the round belly and small mouth general shape of the pots. However, at that time the clay pots were out of the realm of my college student budget. One of the women knew that there were aluminum olla pots (the IMUSA brand makes one), and even though the aluminum one didn’t have a smaller mouth it had the correct rounder belly sides. (And it was affordable for a college kid!) There is a flavor difference between the beans cooked in the two pots – the clay pot gives the most depth of flavor – but the aluminum pot still gives very good beans! During my college days, I formed an ambition that someday I would have a clay beanpot!

From the supper club, I learned to cook dry beans in both aluminum and clay olla beanpots and also how to use the cooked beans in dishes like “bean and grain bowls” so that my meals could vary from one meal to the next even though the beans were the same. This way, one doesn’t get bored with a large batch of cooked beans. It’s magic!

Fast forward a few years after college graduation, and I met my current spouse. As I’ve cooked meals for us over our 25 years together I’ve made notes of our favorite meals. Dishes with beans in them rank highly! And after we moved away from Oklahoma, we got a clay olla beanpot! I love it! I still use my aluminum pot, but the clay pot really is best. 

Eventually, I made a single sketchbook of mine and my spouse’s favorite recipes and reproduced it as an artist book titled “Favorites So Far”. Many of the recipes in this book contain things I learned from my college supper potluck club. Included in the book are my Magic Beans recipe and Bean And Grain Bowls recipe.

And my supper club was right: knowing how to cook, especially how to cook beans, is an essential life skill – especially as an artist! During any turn of fortune in the many years since then, the mantra has been, “we’ll get through this because at least we know how to make beans!”


Sue Clancy’s Plain Magic Beans as made in a 4.2 qt Stoneware Clay Olla/beanpot 

Ingredients:

2 cups of dry beans (sort first and remove rocks or detritus)

12 cups of water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Optional: 1 teaspoon Epazote (if you’re concerned about gas the herb Epazote is a good preventative.)

Directions:

Instructions: sort beans into the clay pot. Add the olive oil and then the water. (add the Epazote if using) Turn the heat on very low and slowly raise the temperature until the beans begin to boil. Reduce heat dramatically and let it simmer on a low heat for 3 to 4 hours without lifting the lid. After 3 hours taste a bean. If it’s not quite soft let the beans cook longer. When the beans are soft add some salt. Then cook another 10 to 20 minutes. Taste again and add more salt if needed. Drain the pot and transfer the cooked beans to a tightly lidded container and store in the refrigerator. Use the cooked beans over the week in tacos, burritos, soups, salads or bean and grain bowls – adding spices, sauces, vegetables, grains and meats as desired when reheating the beans.

My artist book Favorites So Far https://www.blurb.com/b/9759759-favorites-so-far

My website https://sueclancy.com/

My Instagram – @artistclancy – https://www.instagram.com/artistclancy

My Facebook- www.facebook.com/sueclancy.thisartiststudio

I hope you have enjoyed meeting Sue and will wander over to her web site. Attached are some other ways to read and enjoy her work.

Talk soon, ❤️💕 Bernadette

55 responses to “MAGIC BEANS – The best since Jack found his enchanted beans”

  1. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, chocolate, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. I cook from scratch, and try not to use anything that has ingredients I cannot pronounce! After many years of daily serving up local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most full-fat dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies, and I try to educated myself about our food sources! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    Love the story, and I totally agree that cooking beans, and also rice, are kitchen skills that anyone can master and can offer a world of delicious meals on any budget.

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Thank you!! And it’s so true what you say Dorothy!!! ❤

      • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
        sue clancy says:

        I’m pleased to have met you too Bernadette!! And now Angie! Hi Angie, nice to meet you!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Thank you so much!!

  2. Saparza – Hi! I am saparza. Through this website I'll share with you some science based cool facts . We will explore many new amazing things! Thank you for stopping by! Follow Science Stereo for more updates!
    Saparza says:

    Nice story !

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Thank you!!

  3. Bern, thanks so much for bringing us Sue Clancy’s story, recipes and sketches. What a treat! Since I eat a lot of began recipes, beans are a huge part of our diet. And I always start with canned beans. Not any more, now that I’m armed with this fool-proof recipe for magically perfect beans. And I have a beautiful stoneware covered pot that will work well.
    And thank YOU, Sue. This is my lucky day!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      You’re so welcome!! And thanks to Bernadette for letting me share!! Your stoneware covered pot will be a lovely magic bean pot!!! Just remember to start the heat on low and gradually increase it – one wants to avoid shocks of extreme temperature to clay pots. I wish you every success!!

  4. sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
    sue clancy says:

    Thank you so much Bernadette for asking me to share my story, art and recipes with you! I love the way you introduced me and I’mhonored to be your friend! I’m loving the comments on your post and am going to reply to them! I will also be sharing this post!! Thank you again!! What fun!!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Oooh!! Thank you!!! I will go find it!! First I’ve got to find your Facebook link…. Thank you so much!!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Bernadette I haven’t found your post on Facebook. I found you, I think, and asked you to friend…
      Anyway I posted on my Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/sue.clancy.125 and also on Instagram! Please help me find you on Facebook and those lovely comments that you mentioned… thank you!!

  5. sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
    sue clancy says:

    Reblogged this on sue clancy and commented:
    I am honored to have my magic beans “I’m gonna survive as an artist or bust” illustrated recipes featured here on newclassicrecipe.com!! Bernadette asked so I told all my secrets…including the ones from my college days. Hope you enjoy seeing this! Thanks again Bernadette!

  6. Chef Mimi – As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!
    chef mimi says:

    What a fabulous post! As a non-Oklahoman living in Oklahoma, it gave me quite a giggle. Sue was fortunate to have global influences on her cooking and art, as well as her outlook on life! Love the artwork.

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Lol Mimi!!! As a former Oklahoman I can totally understand and imagine your giggles!!! Yes, I was *so* fortunate to have such good global influences – a welcoming multicultural oasis!! I’m so glad you liked the art!! I wish you the very best!

  7. This is fun! Beans are a mainstay and so healthy for us. Fun. I’ve just followed Sue on Instagram.

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Thank you!! It will be fun to see you on Instagram too!

  8. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    the Painted Apron says:

    I loved the story and the artistic recipe cards! I didn’t know the first thing about cooking when I went to college either, and basically taught myself with the help of my mother sending me recipe cards. My signature dish was Quiche Lorraine. Thanks for sharing Sue and Bernadette!
    Jenna

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed my art and story! Thank you! Oooh!! Quiche Lorraine – that sounds wonderful !!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed my drawings! Thank you!

      • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
        sue clancy says:

        Oh thank you Bernadette I am so happy to get to share with your readers!! This has been such fun!!!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Thank you so much!! Of course I agree with you – homecooked beans are the best!!

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Thank you Terrie!!!

      • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
        sue clancy says:

        Thank you!! I plan to keep adding illustrated recipe postcards… such a very good suggestion you had!!! Thank you again!! ❤

  9. Hi Bernadette, this post is so timeous for me as I just purchased a bag of black beans today and was wondering how I should cook them.

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      Oh black beans are positively addictive when cooked in magic bean pot ways! Low heat and slow cook till they are butter soft and so yummy! Enjoy!!

  10. D. Wallace Peach – 30 Miles beyond the edge of civilization, Oregon – I'm an adventurer in writing, peering under rocks in my garden for secret magic. I can't stop writing. My stories want to explode from my head. They demand my attention and surge from my fingertips faster than I can put them to paper. I love what I do.
    D. Wallace Peach says:

    I’ve never been much of a fan on beans, Bernadette. But I’ve never eaten magic beans that come with artwork and a story! Sue is wonderful. Kind, thoughtful, and talented. Thanks for the fun post.

      • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
        sue clancy says:

        Lol!!! Thank you so much for reposting this!! Such fun to see it!! I’ll get on social media and share…

    • sue clancy – I create visual stories: fine art and artist books – in the genres of "animals in art" and "books in art". I tell my stories on walls, in books and even on "nontraditional" surfaces like coffee mugs. My fine art is represented by Caplan Art Designs www.caplanartdesigns.com and by Joseph Gierek Fine Art www.gierek.com – Thank you for letting me tell you a story!
      sue clancy says:

      I’m so delighted you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for your kind words!!!!

  11. Awakening Wonders – Everyday life is filled with wondrous things and embraceable moments, but only if we allow ourselves to be fully awakened. I invite you to join me as I share passionate life adventures and ramblings that awaken my spirit. I look forward to awakening your senses to the simple, joyous wonders that are all around us. I feel that we are destined to become soulful adventurers!
    Awakening Wonders says:

    Bernadette,
    Indeed, a wonderful and endearing bean recipe story – thanks for sharing it with me today!

  12. Retirement Reflections – Vancouver Island, BC – Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.
    Retirement Reflections says:

    Wonderful story! Beans (of all varieties) are a main staple around our house!

  13. Two of my favorite bloggers, you and Sue! This story made me smile.

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