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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit...

...the more you eat the more you, well, you know the rest.

It was time to make some beans.  I love cooked pinto beans.  A bowl of beans, maybe some mac and cheese, hot sauce, and corn bread.  Mmmm.  Good, cheap, full of flavor and protein.  How do I make mine?  Well, here is the recipe that my mom passed down to me.

Buy a 1 pound bag of dried pintos.  Place them in a pan. pick out any stones, then cover them with water and let them sit overnight.  After the overnight soak, drain the water and rinse 2 times in a colander with water.  The beans then go back into a pot with the following:

1 bell pepper, coarsely diced
2 jalapeƱos, sliced
1/2 of a sweet onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of coarsely ground pepper
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
Enough liquid to cover.  Water works.  I sometimes use chicken broth (I did this time)
Some people add bacon, a smoked ham hock, or some pork fatback.  This time, I went meatless.



Bring to a boil then gently simmer at least three hours.  I usually go longer, about five hours, because I like my beans softer.

Once you have the bean consistency you are looking for, remove from heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.  Then salt to taste.  WARNING!  Do not salt until the end.  If you salt at the beginning, you will end up with tough, inedible beans.

I just love the flavor from these beans.  Lunch for the whole week.


You can also turn these into refried beans very easily.

In a skillet, add two cups of the bean mixture and heat on low heat.  As they warm and cook down, mash them with a hand held potato masher.  When the liquid has cooked down and the beans are looking like refried beans, add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until incorporated.  These refried beans will be better than anything you can get at a Mexican restaurant.

Thanks for stopping by,


Bill


2 comments:

  1. I love beans. Your bean pot inspires me for today's cook. Soak or to not soak. I am from the not soak school. Depending on how old your beans are, the cooking time may increase or decrease. I have read on the World Wide Internet if you have problems with gas you should probably soak and discard soaking liquid. Thats my story and I am sticking to it

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    1. Chilebrown, I use both methods. I think soaking gives you a more tender bean when done. As for the gas theory, I call BS as it did not help this past week. But, I will not soak the next time and see what happens.

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