Italian Lupini Beans #SundaySupper

Are you looking for a unique and different food to add to your vegetarian choice of appetizers? Have you ever heard of Italian Lupini Beans? I will attempt to demystify this highly addictive food for you. I can’t wait to share with you another one of my all-time favorites!

Before I get started on the lupini, did you know that October 1 is World Vegetarian Day? A group of tastemakers from the Sunday Supper Movement will be sharing a fantastic variety of vegetarian recipes. So, settle in and be prepared to be amazed. All of the mouth watering vegetarian recipe links can be found at the bottom of this page, so be sure to check them out …would not want you to miss out!  A big shout out to the event host Susan Pridmore from The Wimpy Vegetarian.  Thank you Susan!

So, if you are of Italian origin, you are probably familiar with lupini beans. They are grown in Australia and southwestern Europe, and are extremely popular as a street food throughout the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, as well as in Latin America. In Portugal, this popular bar food is referred to as tremoços and in Arabic they are referred to as tormos.

Up close and personal with Italian Lupini Beans: Lupini (loo-pee-nee) beans are classified as legumes. As you can see, in their dry form (left), the seeds are very pale in color, are circular, and are quite flat. Once they have been reconstituted (right), they become plump with a yellowish hue. Notice the transparent outer skin which becomes visible once they have been soaked.

Please note that consumption of these Italian Lupini Beans is not recommended for individuals who have nut allergies.

Italian Lupini Beans Nutrition Facts: Lupini are a fantastic source of protein. In fact, as far as legumes go, only soy beans have more protein than they do. They are also high in fiber and a rich source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, potassium and manganese (among others). As an example, just 1 cup of these beans will provide you with 26 grams of protein and 4.6 grams of fiber. Lupini beans are truly nutritional powerhouses.

It’s important to know that these innocent-looking seeds contain high levels of alkaloids, which are actually very toxic. In fact, it is these alkaloids which produce the extremely bitter taste. The good news is that the simple daily repetitive action of soaking and rinsing (for a few weeks) will cause these molecules to leach into the water, transforming the lupini beans into a fabulous healthy appetizer or snack. So to be extra clear: that means lupini beans are poisonous proir to soaking!! So don’t eat them before the soaking process is complete. 🙂

Preparing the Italian Lupini Beans: As with most traditional Italian recipes, the process is super easy, but lengthy. It is possible for you to purchase ready-to-eat lupini beans in a brine solution. But I wanted to show you how easy it is to prepare your own beans from scratch – gives you a greater feeling of accomplishment, and helps you avoid preservatives, to boot.

Lupini beans are easily accessible in local ethnic bulk or grocery stores. I will usually purchase a 14 ounce (400 grams) bag from an Italian grocery store (They are also available on Amazon).

Since we are brining our very own lupini, you need to be available every day, for just a couple of minutes, for a couple of weeks before you can enjoy the mild and nutty flavor of this legume.

Be warned: it does get a bit repetitive, but the rewards are well worth it.

So, let me show you how easy this is:

Day 1: Soaking the lupini

• Sort and rinse your lupini beans. You need to get rid of any blemished or discolored beans.
• Soak the lupini beans for 24 hours in cold water, so that they may become reconstituted. Place them in a glass bowl, ensuring that they are submerged by a few inches of water. They can be kept on the kitchen counter at room temperature. I will usually place my bowl in my cantina.

Day 2: Boiling the lupini

• Drain and rinse the lupini beans. Notice how the lupini beans have become plump after the 24-hour soak. They have also picked up a little bit of color.
• Place them in a large heavy bottomed pot with cold water.
• Cover your pot and bring to a vigorous simmer for about 20 minutes. If necessary, keep adding water to keep the beans completely submerged.
• Skim the foam off the top as the beans simmer.
• Drain and rinse the beans with cold water.
• Place the cooked (cooled) beans in a large glass bowl and fill with fresh tap water.
• Refrigerate.

Days 3-17: Rinsing and soaking 

• Drain, rinse and refill with fresh tap water a couple of times a day. If possible aim for at least twice a day. The lupini beans are ready when they no longer have that bitter aftertaste; you can start to taste them after 5-7 days of changing the water. Sometimes, this can take up to 2 weeks. What we are looking for is a sweet and tender lupini.
• During the rinsing and soaking stage, the lupini can be kept refrigerated.

Storing the Italian Lupini Beans: Once all trace of bitterness has been removed, place the lupini beans in large glass bowl and fill with cold tap water, add salt and refrigerate, until ready to be eaten. I will usually add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt to 4 cups of water. The 2 1/2 cups (14 ounces) of dry lupini beans made about 6 1/2 cups of lupini beans. I added 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt.

Once brined, these Italian Lupini Beans can be kept in an airtight container (mason jars) in the fridge for about 2 weeks. It is no longer necessary to rinse the beans.

Eating the Italian Lupini Beans: You will notice that lupini have an outer skin, much like chickpeas, but slightly thicker. Personally, I like to remove this outer shell, despite the fact that it is totally edible.

Pick up an individual lupini and take a tiny bite at one end of the bean (in essence you are making a tiny incision) while squeezing the other end. The lupini will then “pop” out of its’ shell and into your mouth. Years of practice 😉 The true lupini experts can flip the beans in their mouth with just a flip created with their thumb and index finger. Once again, consumption of lupini beans is not recommended for those individuals which have nut allergies.

Origins of the recipe for Italian Lupini Beans:

These Italian Lupini Beans would be prepared from October to April in my Italian-Canadian upbringing. This would usually coincide with big family reunions. I fondly remember my grandmother curing her very own lupini – rinsing the beans several times a day for weeks on end in order to eliminate the bitterness. There was always a batch in the preparation phase and a batch ready to be enjoyed.

I can remember not heeding to my grandmother’s warnings to wait for the curing process to be complete. I can attest to the fact that they are indeed very bitter. But in my defense, they were so easily accessible; it was hard not to be tempted to try them! After all, that’s what kids do best – the opposite of what they are told!

The lupini beans were kept in the cantina, where all the other goodies could be found – you know, the hundreds of jars of homemade tomato sauce, the pickled eggplants, the peppers, the prune marmalade… and of course, no cantina would be complete without the strung sausages and hung prosciutto in the process of being cured. My dad was a butcher by trade and he just loved his homemade salumi.

All of these homemade foods, including these Italian Lupini Beans, would inevitably become part of the lineup of appetizers served at large family gatherings. They were served simply on their own.

So the next time you are getting together with friends and family, make sure to include these Italian Lupini Beans… a great vegetarian appetizer (or snack) and a guaranteed conversation starter.

Ciao for now,

Maria 🙂

ONE FINAL THOUGHT ABOUT #SUNDAYSUPPER…

Every Sunday, there is a wonderful group of bloggers called the #SundaySupper tastemakers that collaborate together on a theme. As was mentioned, today’s theme was World Vegetarian Day and I think you’ll agree the line-up of recipes is totally amazing!

I would like to thank the event host for this event Susan Pridmore  from The Wimpy Vegetarian. Thank you Susan!

If you have a chance you should really check out these great recipes contributed by these wonderful food bloggers.

Buona Domenica e Buon Appetito!

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

Appetizers

• Citrus Marinated Olives by Cricket’s Confections
• Goat Cheese and Red Onion Quesadilla by The Freshman Cook
• Grilled Green Tomato and Mozzarella Salad by Monica’s Table
• Orange Ginger Carrot Soup by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Desserts

• Chocolate Orange Beet Cake by Baking Sense
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
• Make Your Children Eat Their Vegetables…in a Cupcake! by The Ninja Baker
• Zucchini Blueberry Coffee Cake by Pies and Plots

Entrees

• Butternut Squash Zoodles with Fried Sage Sauce by Home Sweet Homestead
• Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant by Sunday Supper Movement
• Cheesy Cauliflower Cake by Food Lust People Love
• Chipotle Tofu Tacos with Plantain by Caroline’s Cooking
• Glazed Carrot and Quinoa Salad with Crispy Chickpeas by Helpful Homemade
• Green Goddess Mac and Cheese by Moore or Less Cooking
• Mujaddara by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta by Wholistic Woman
• Pumpkin Gnocchi and Spinach with Sage Brown Butter Sauce by The Redhead Baker
• Radical Reuben Sandwich by Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Delicata Squash with Sriracha Aioli by The Hungry Goddess
• Roasted Vegetable Casserole by A Mind “Full”Mom
• Spicy Tofu and Rice Stir Fry by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Strawberry Soba Noodle Salad by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach by Cooking Chat
• Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Veggie Riggies: A Rigatoni Sauté by Hardly A Goddess

Sides

• Caramelized Onions and Cauliflower by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Cauliflower Tabbouleh with Chickpeas by Simple and Savory
• Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice by My Life Cookbook
• Locro de Papa (Ecuadorian Potato Soup) by Curious Cuisiniere
• South African Yellow Rice by What Smells So Good?
• Spiralized Sweet Potato and Apple Sauté with Dates by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Turmeric Hummus Casserole by Dizzy Busy and Hungry

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.