Meet Cork’s Queen Bean, chef Ali Honour

ACCLAIMED Cork-based chef, Ali Honour, formerly of Ali’s Kitchen and The Imperial Hotel, is a champion for the Beans Is How campaign, which aims to double global consumption of beans by 2028.

The campaign is ed by a group called The Chefs’ Manifesto, an advocacy hub for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

There’s a lot to unpack there, so first:

What are the SDGs?

The SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity (www.undp.org).

There are 17 SDGs, all interlinked meaning that everyone and everything benefits from achieving the goals.

What is The Chefs’ Manifesto?

The Chefs’ Manifesto is a chef-led project that brings together 1,200+ chefs from around the world to explore how they can help deliver a sustainable food system.

Working to a framework built around eight themes (e.g., nutritious food that is affordable and accessible for all), The Chefs’ Manifesto acts as an Advocacy Hub to inspire others, not just in commercial kitchens but in our kitchens at home, too.

What is the Beans Is How campaign?

This campaign is backed by The Chefs’ Manifesto to encourage doubling the global consumption of beans (beans, peas, and pulses) by 2028.

Beans represent an alternative form of protein that’s accessible, cheap, easy to grow, plentiful, nutritious, with benefits to soil health and climate action.

How do Ali Honour and Cork fit into this?

GIY HQ in Waterford is the Irish advocacy hub for The Chefs’ Manifesto. Ali is an agent of change with the Beans Is How campaign in Cork, working with local growers, producers, and suppliers of all kinds of beans, peas and pulses.

As a chef with more than 30 years of industry experience under her belt, Ali has recently launched the next season of her culinary career by establishing a new consultancy that aims to place climate awareness at the core of the industry she loves.

Right now, Ali is full of beans?

“When people talk about protein, they’re probably thinking chicken, tuna, and steak. From studying nutrition, we need to eat a versatile diet in general but also with proteins. 

We need to hit all the essential amino acids (for helping our bodies and tissues repair, for growth and repairing the immune system), and a lot of proteins don’t contain all of them.

“You could think you’re eating loads of protein but are not hitting all the amino acids - that’s what got me onto beans, because many have all the essentials.”

Ali says if people ate more bean varieties, we could grow more beans, fewer soybeans (often grown for animal feed), and have a more versatile food system.

“I’m not saying people must be vegetarian or vegan, far from it. It’s understanding that we all have a responsibility to help the climate in any way we can, whether that’s a zero-waste approach to food or eating more climate conscious food (ideally both); that it’s not all about meat if you can incorporate beans into your diet.”

The Beans Is How campaign encourages chefs to get more beans on the menu, and thinking outside the box when it comes to exploring different beans, how to cook and enjoy them in many ways. 

“Ten years ago, everything was a three-bean dish – a wrap, chili, burger, salad. 

I want to do things that people wouldn’t normally associate with beans, for example, hake with a cannellini bean stew; smoked haddock fish cake with butter beans; a chickpea dahl, and different hummuses. Anything I can get beans into, I do.

Plans are in the pipeline for pop-up dining events, and Ali has been working on developing a new chocolate bar with Wexford-based Bean & Goose chocolatiers using beans as an innovative ingredient with the bonus of a naturally higher protein treat.

“The whole idea is to go big, not small. That means getting as many people involved as possible. The goal for Beans Is How is to double the consumption of beans by 2028 worldwide.

“I’m pushing the campaign in Ireland along with Michael Kelly of GIY, a huge sponsor of Beans Is How to get people growing beans at home. My aim is to include people by having fun around food, get involved, change how we think about food and how we eat.”

Many people love beans for their versatility and flavour, but beans don’t have the same reverence in Ireland as they do in other cultures. So, how do we make beans appealing?

“I’ve met a lot of people from all over the world who celebrate beans in their culture: Indian, Mexican, Venezuelan, French, Italians; they all have beans in their diet. Apart from some old classics, do we have a broad ranging food identity with beans in Ireland? Probably not. I think for most people it’s tins of baked beans; maybe a memory of podding peas as a kid, if they were lucky.

How do we make beans sexy? For me, it’s coming up with good dishes that people want to try. It could be making them sweet, or combining them with meat, fish or other ingredients that people enjoy.

“Change does happen; people are thinking more about what they’re buying in supermarkets because of the food scarcity this year; eating more of what’s around us, what’s accessible. Dried beans and pulses don’t have that element of sexiness about them, but really should because they’re amazing.”

Whatever impact the Beans Is How campaign has, the other side of eating is growing. Ireland is already experiencing a crisis in its horticulture sector with growers leaving the industry at a rapid rate. How does the campaign aim to encourage more growing, and of beans and pulses in particular?

“Getting farmers to grow is a challenge,” says Ali. “We do need to look at growing more beans, but that need incentivising. People like Mick [Kelly, GIY] are trying to do that on a small scale by getting people to grow more. 

That’s important for getting our heads around how things grow, and how difficult it can be shows what farmers need to do to put food out for us to buy.

“We want more variety of beans, but it also must be what can grow in our climate. We could grow borlotti beans well here, but chickpeas are very time-consuming,” Ali explains.

“Things are happening; we must celebrate the little wins and progress we’re making because we are coming a long way and learning. Unfortunately, the problems on the other side (of the climate crisis) are intensifying quicker than we can work on the little things. That’s a big problem.”

Armed with culinary know-how, chefs can be inspired by beans easier than the home cook. So why should we be bothered about putting beans on the menu for the weekday dinner? “It’s the versatility of beans as a fast food. Within five minutes, I’ve got something to eat because I’ve sauteed off some onions with tomatoes, butter beans, basil, made some toast and sprinkled some mint over it. It’s delicious, and it is nutritious, too.

“We all should eat a variety of foods but incorporating a much bigger range of nutritionally dense food and beans is an easy way to do that. Stick them into a burger, fish cake or chocolate cake; beans go into everything. That’s why I love them!

“If we encourage even half the amount of people to eat more beans, that reduces how much meat and dairy they eat; there will be more land and opportunity to grow more beans because we won’t have to feed as many animals.

One production must come down for the other to come up, and if you’re encouraging more people to eat more beans, that will naturally happen.

The global food system is a complex thing. As consumers, we can feel as though individual action has only a muted effect. But that is not to say we should be apathetic to at least trying to create change.

“I don’t mind talking about it because the more we talk about it, the better it is, especially things a lot of people find taboo. It doesn’t make me feel better or help me solve the problem, but at least opens people’s eyes a bit.

“Including beans is just a normal part of when I’m writing a menu now.

“Protein in Greek is Proteus, meaning first of importance. So, when I’m writing a menu or thinking of what to eat, I ask what is my protein? Is it butter bean, broad bean, chicken, fish, eggs.”

Chefs interested in putting more beans on the menu can sign up to the Bean Menu Challenge. The Beans Is How website (https://sdg2advocacyhub.org/beans-is-how/) contains great bean-centric recipes and ideas for growing beans at home.

Also check out www.ali-honour.com

Chocolate and Red Kidney Bean Cake with Whipped Caramel, by Ali Honour

This recipe packs in the protein, is gluten free and still tastes like a gorgeous chocolate cake!

Ingredients

For the cake

• 400g canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 4 large eggs

• 150g sugar

• 75g cocoa powder

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Pinch of salt

For the Whipped Caramel

• 200g sugar

• 100ml water

• 200ml cream

• 50g unsalted butter

• 1 tsp vanilla extract Instructions

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a round cake pan with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, blend the red kidney beans until smooth.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the bean puree, eggs, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix until combined and smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.

5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

6. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Whipped Caramel

7. In a medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently until the sugar dissolves.

8. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Let it boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber colour. Do not allow to burn.

9. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour in the whipping cream. The mixture will bubble up, so be cautious.

10. Stir in unsalted butter and vanilla extract until the caramel is smooth and well combined.

11. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.

12. Once the cake and caramel are completely cooled, spread a layer of the whipped caramel over the top of the cake. Reserve some caramel for drizzling over individual slices when serving.