Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 lb. dried Pinto or Red Beans (whichever you prefer)
1 bay leaf
1 large onion (coarsely chopped)
1/4 lb. bacon
Vegetable or olive oil (if needed)
3-6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. Asian Chili Garlic Sauce (optional)
Sliced jalapeņos and juice from bottle (to suit your taste - but be careful)
3 cans (regular size) chunky style Rotel
1 tbsp. tomato paste, for thickening (if needed)
salt and pepper to taste
Cornbread Mix
|
Directions: |
Directions:1. DO NOT SOAK THE BEANS OVERNIGHT.
2. Place the dried beans into a 4-1/2 qt. or larger Dutch oven/cooking pot. Fill pot with water and bring to a boil. DO NOT ADD SALT.
3. After water reaches a boil, continue boiling for 10-15 minutes. Add bay leaf and chopped onions.
4. Lower temperature but keep at a LOW CONSTANT BOIL for next two hours. Stir often. Always add more hot/warm water to the boiling pot as the water level lowers and the beans absorb the water (see next step below).
5. Keep a teapot (or separate cooking pot) full of hot/warm water on-hand during the entire cooking process. You will need to add hot/warm water to the beans as they are cooking and the water is absorbed by the beans. Only add hot/warm water to the cooking pot. DO NOT ADD COLD WATER.
6. After two hours of cooking, taste the beans for tenderness. If almost tender enough, proceed below. If they are not quite tender enough, cook another 15-30 minutes.
7. Locate a mixing bowl large enough to hold a large colander. Place the large colander into the large bowl. Drain the beans into the colander RESERVING ALL of the liquid in the bowl underneath. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE RESERVED LIQUID. DO NOT WASH THE ORIGINAL COOKING POT YET. Set beans and reserved liquid aside (as is) for now.
8. Put the cooking pot back on the stove. Add 1/4 lb. of bacon to the pot and cook in its own grease. If bacon is very lean and does not produce enough grease for frying, carefully add a little vegetable or olive oil to the pot.
9. When the bacon is cooked to your preference, remove from the pot and drain on a paper towel. DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE FROM THE POT. You need it for the next step.
10. Lower the temperature significantly under your cooking pot. Add the minced garlic to the bacon grease and saute the garlic. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE GARLIC. If necessary add a little of the reserved bean cooking liquid to the garlic to keep it from burning.
11. When the garlic is sauteed, add the following ingredients to the cooking pot:
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
a little more of the reserved bean cooking liquid
1 tbsp. Asian Chili Garlic Sauce (optional)
Sliced jalapeņos and a small amount of the jalapeņo juice from the bottle. Be careful.
12. Stir above ingredients in the cooking pot and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
13. Add three (3) regular-sized cans of Chunky Style Rotel to the pot and bring to a boil. When mixture reaches a boil, lower to a simmer and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes.
14. Add all of the following ingredients back to the cooking pot:
cooked beans
cooked bacon
2 cups reserved bean cooking liquid. DO NOT THROW AWAY REST OF THE RESERVED BEAN LIQUID.
salt and pepper to taste
15. Bring pot back to a boil. When the mixture reaches a boil, lower temperature but keep at a LOW CONSTANT BOIL for at least one (1) more hour. Always add more of the reserved bean cooking liquid to the pot as the water level lowers and the beans absorb the cooking liquid. You will probably add back most or all of the reserved bean liquid.
16. If you like a thicker sauce, add 1 tbsp. Tomato Paste to the pot about halfway through the last hour of cooking. If you like the sauce thinner, do not use the Tomato Paste at all.
17. While the beans are cooking, make your cornbread according to the cornbread package directions.
18. After the beans have cooked for one (1) hour, test them for tenderness and the sauce for taste. If ready, serve with the cornbread. If the beans are still not tender enough for you, cook at 15 minute intervals and test for tenderness until ready.
|
This recipe for POT OF BEANS is from