I'm Frances Lamb and this is The Splendid Table from APM, the show for curious cooks and eaters.

You know what's really great?

The smell of simmering food in your house.

I mean broads and brazes sending their scent through the kitchen and into the living room.

And, you know, my place is pretty small, so that also means that I get to fall asleep to the aroma of whatever is in my pot.

If that sounds fun, great.

And if it sounds even more like a way of passing through the winter emotionally intact, hey, even better.

Because this episode is all about cold weather cooking.

We've got a lesson in Korean-style bone broth, Siberian dumplings and pickle soup.

And yes, I know this sounds impossibly weird,

but chicken brazed in chilies and chocolate milk.

That was so delicious.

I honestly, I still can't believe it, but it's real.

And first, beans. I love beans, dry beans, I mean.

And honestly more so since I became a dad.

They're super nutritious.

They keep forever in your pantry.

They're so easy to cook, and they have so much flavor.

They make their own broth when you boil them.

I feel great whenever I have a pot of beans on my stove,

and there's literally nothing I feel better about serving to my family.

And Andy Beragani, one of the stars of Bon Appetit's Test Kitchen,

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