Plain Beans with Butter or Olive Oil

Beans are best simply boiled and, if being served hot, lightly buttered or flavored with extra virgin olive oil. A nice variation is to toss the hot beans with herb butters, such as parsley butter or chervil or chive butter. Virtually any dried bean will work for this recipe. Part of the fun of cooking beans is experimenting with all the (sometimes brightly colored) varieties.