r/ranchogordobeanclub

Have any of you used bean broth to make a salad dressing? I would love to read your suggestions, concerns, or comments about a bean broth salad dressing.

Hi everyone,

I got all the ingredients together to make the lemony heirloom bean soup from the recent quarterly newsletter for dinner tonight and realized it may to be missing some steps. Should I faithfully adhere to the recipe or is there some common knowledge im missing? My concern is that the soup doesn't call for broth and I cant imagine (maybe im wrong) the lemon juice would be enough to make this "soupy." My assumption is that I'm draining the bean water and adding just the cooked beans as described. Is that accurate? Adding bean water seems like it would be a goof.

I am posting the recipe because its also published publicly on the RG website:

Reprinted with permission from REVEL: A Maximalist’s Guide to Having People Over by Mariana Velásquez © 2026. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random
House. Note: The original recipe calls for fresh Cranberry beans, but if you don't have access to those, we suggest our Good Mother Stallards or
dried Cranberry beans.

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 yellow onions, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, sliced
4 parsley stems
2 fresh bay leaves
1 smoked ham hock (optional)
2 pounds fresh Cranberry beans (about 6 cups
shelled) or 1 pound dried Rancho Gordo Good
Mother Stallard or Cranberry beans
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Zest and juice of 4 lemons, plus 6 lemons for serving
Tangy Green Sauce (below), white rice or crusty bread, and avocado slices, for serving

Serves 16

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and onions and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until they soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and
2. cook until fragrant. Stir in the parsley stems and bay leaves and add the ham hock (if using) and the beans.
3. If using fresh beans: Add 5 quarts of water and bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until the beans are
4. tender but still hold their shape, about 25 minutes. If using dried beans: Add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring the pot to a rapid
5. boil for 10 to 15 minutes, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer until the beans are done, between1 hour and 3 hours. If the bean-cooking water
6. starts to get low, add hot water.
7. Season with the salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat, remove and discard the parsley stems and bay leaves, cover, and keep
8. the soup warm until ready to serve.
9. Finish the soup by stirring in the lemon zest and juice. Transfer to a soup terrine or serve from the Dutch oven (remember to protect the table
10. from the heat!). Slice the 6 lemons into wedges, put them in a bowl, and serve alongside the green sauce, rice, and avocado.

Tangy Green Sauce
4 cups chopped cilantro stems and leaves
2 ripe tomatoes, grated
2 green bird's eye chiles or jalapeños, stemmed and
minced
8 garlic cloves, grated
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup cold water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves 14 to 16

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the cilantro,
2. tomatoes, chiles, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and water.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add a couple of large ice cubes to dilute
5. the sauce a bit and chill it; reserve until ready
6. to serve. The sauce will keep in the fridge in an
7. airtight container for up to a week.