I have been thinking about edamame a lot lately: they are great steamed and salted like you find them in Japanese restaurants. They don't seem to show up much elsewhere, which is too bad because they are delicious and versatile. I have had edamame dishes at a couple different restaurants that inspired me to experiment with some different seasonings.
When most people think of soy they tend to think of tofu, soymilk, and a whole range of processed soy products. Nothing is wrong with those, but I'd choose unprocessed soy beans over the more popular soy products any day. If you haven't seen edamame in your grocery store, have a hunt through the frozen foods section, or go to an Asian specialty market. I usually buy a big bag of frozen edamame in their shells and another bag of frozen shelled edamame beans. The pre-shelled beans get boiled until bright green, about a minute, and thrown into pasta, soup, salad— everything. The beans in their pods have been getting every seasoning I can think of, and I will post some of the others soon. This red wine glazed recipe may very well be the best so far. The big slices of garlic get stained really deep purpley-red.
