I've been thinking about beans and rice a lot lately, and it's only partly because I wrote a book about the former. I've been thinking about how the combination got me through some of my poorest years ...

I absolutely adore beans. From the pintos, limas, garbanzos and brown lentils of my childhood to the cannellini, fava, red lentils and Peruvian beans I discovered once I was in charge of my own pantry ...