What about Beans?!

[Brown Eyes]

Anyone have any great bean recipes?  Seems appropriate.
 

[Meryl]

Beans for Thanksgiving and Christmas?  Where were you raised, gal? 

Well, we do have plenty of Brokie holidays where beans are welcome as the main event.  So here's my Mom's recipe, which makes a great meal all by itself.


NAVY BEANS WITH HAM

Makes 4-6 servings

1 16 oz. package Navy beans

2 14-1/2 oz. cans of chicken broth

1 large onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups of ham, diced (approx.)

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Coarse ground pepper and salt to taste


Rinse the beans and put them in a large pot with the chicken broth.  Fill an empty broth can 2-3 times with water and add to the pot.  Bring to a boil, adding the other ingredients.  If you have a meaty ham bone, use less chicken broth and cook the beans with the ham bone for extra flavor.

Turn down the heat and cover.  Let simmer at least two hours, or til the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.  You may want to add more water if the liquid has reduced before the beans are tender.  The final dish should be soupy.

Add the salt only after you have tasted the cooked beans, as the ham will make them somewhat salty anyway.

Serve up in bowls, with a generous dollop of ketchup if desired.  Goes down real well with brown bread and butter and a cold beer. 

[MaineWriter]

For anyone who is reading Through The Veil Of Time, this is the recipe that Kelly is entering in the chili cook-off.

BLACK BEAN CHILI

1 lb dry black beans
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this is the minimum)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 28 oz can chopped or crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Garnishes: chopped tomato, cubed avocado, chopped scallions, grated cheese, sour cream, salsa

Mix all ingredients (except garnishes) together in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours

We like chili served on rice (sort of a rice and beans variation). Serve the garnishes separately for each diner's enjoyment.

Serves 6 to 8 easily.

Leslie

[Shakesthecoffecan]

My sister is hosting as she always does and the theme this year is coffee: cakes, gravy, etc., if anyone has any receipies involving coffee I'd love to hear them.

what I think I'll do is fi me a big ole' pot of Pintos and take them over there, her house ain't seen a pinto in its life!

[opinionista]

Stewed Beans (Spanish style)

1 can of Pinto beans
1 cup of water
2 ounces of tomato sauce
1 Tbsp of alcaparrado (spanish olives)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 Tablespoon of *Sofrito (see end of page)


In a saucepan heat oil, then add the tomato sauce, alcaparrado, black pepper and sofrito and cook for about 4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, season to taste with salt. Turn on the heat again to medium and cook for an additional 20 or until the mixture becomes a bit thick. Serve over white rice.


*Sofrito:

1 bunch Cilantro leaves
2 red bell pepper - chopped
1 large Onion, chopped
1 lb sweet peppers
1/2 lb of Garlic

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, but don't over blend. This recipe keeps well in the freezer.

[Ellemeno]

My sister is hosting as she always does and the theme this year is coffee: cakes, gravy, etc., if anyone has any receipies involving coffee I'd love to hear them.

shakes, you could bring this for a fun little pastime:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=5184.msg115914#msg115914

[Front-Ranger]

How about turkey mole? It has coffee in it!!

This weekend, I am making bean soup yet again! I'm starting to run out of beans! Has anyone ever tried making bean soup with baked beans before? I think these are also called Boston baked beans.

[Meryl]

How about turkey mole? It has coffee in it!!

This weekend, I am making bean soup yet again! I'm starting to run out of beans! Has anyone ever tried making bean soup with baked beans before? I think these are also called Boston baked beans.

I once had bean soup at a tavern in Charleston that was like homemade baked beans to which cream or milk had been added to make them soupy.  It was delicious. 

[Front-Ranger]

It is New Year's week still so I am making lima beans for lunch. I'm simply stewing them with onion and turkey bacon; then I will make a soup with the rest. Let me know of any good ingredients I should add.

[Jeff Wrangler]

It is New Year's week still so I am making lima beans for lunch. I'm simply stewing them with onion and turkey bacon; then I will make a soup with the rest. Let me know of any good ingredients I should add.

How about adding some diced potato?

Did you use canned beans or dried beans that you had to soak overnight (what my mother always used)?

[Front-Ranger]

Great idea on the potato! I used frozen beans. They have a nice flavor and a good lima green color.

I also added a couple of teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning and some minced garlic.

[southendmd]

My friend Joey made her famous Boston baked beans for a neighborhood dinner in Ptown last weekend.  Served along two kinds of sausage, spaetzle, roasted root vegetables, the beans were a big hit.  She makes them with a big ham hock, bacon, molasses, spices and a secret ingredient--bourbon!

We even had the traditional New England brown bread in a can. 

[serious crayons]

It is New Year's week still so I am making lima beans for lunch. I'm simply stewing them with onion and turkey bacon; then I will make a soup with the rest. Let me know of any good ingredients I should add.

What are the chances?! I literally just finished a (late-ish) lunch of lima beans. I made them a while ago; this was a small container I'd stashed in the freezer and thawed.

I use dried beans soaked overnight, like Jeff's mother, and cook them in the crockpot with a ham hock and broth. At some point about midway through, I add chopped and saut?ed bell peppers (red in this case, but any color works), onions and garlic and a can of tomato sauce (I once read that tomato sauce causes the beans to stop softening, so you want to make sure they're soft first; I'm not sure this is true, but I follow the advice). I serve them with Louisiana- or Crystal-brand hot sauce -- I use those rather than Tabasco because they're slightly less hot and, I think, more flavorful.

I've cooked all my dried legumes the same way for years and I should probably try to branch out. In fact, they're almost always limas; haven't made black beans or lentils or kidneys or even blackeye peas in a while (I think I confessed here that I forgot to make blackeyes on New Year's Day). And I used to use bacon a lot but I've fallen into a ham hock habit. So I'm open to suggestions, too!

[Front-Ranger]

Good news on my annual exam...my cholesterol has fallen by 30 points! I attribute it in part to my love of beans. Veggies as well, in fact the whole Mediterranean diet thing.

Today's a snow day and the polar vortex makes it impossible to go out for more than a few minutes. So, I'm cooking. I've been soaking dried chick peas and am going to roast them with some homemade curry powder. Will serve myself a rice or noodle bowl topped with the peas, radish slices, carrot, red cabbage and soft boiled egg!

[Jeff Wrangler]

Great idea on the potato! I used frozen beans. They have a nice flavor and a good lima green color.

My mother would never use green limas except as a side dish. But maybe I've misunderstood? I was thinking you were making this as a main dish.

Dried lima beans soaked overnight, then basically stewed with ham hocks and broth, with diced potatoes added--that would have been a main dish. Before crock pots were invented, my mother would have done all this on the stove. Later she would have used a crock pot. Of course she cooked the ham hocks first, to make the broth. Then she would have removed the meat from the bones and added it to the beans and potatoes.

Ham hocks, bacon, molasses, brown sugar, and I-don't-know-what-all else is the way cooks where I come from would make homemade baked beans (unfortunately no bourbon). The difference would be that they would use dried lima beans--soaked overnight, of course. Maybe that's a Central Pennsylvania thing.

The funny thing is, this is also basically the way she made bean soup. She just would have used dried navy (?) beans instead. (Except for lima beans and kidney beans, I'm a little vague on bean types.    )

Ham hocks, bacon, molasses, brown sugar, and I-don't-know-what-all (no bourbon)--that's the way cooks where I come from make homemade baked beans. The difference is that they use dried lima beans--soaked overnight, of course. People tend to think that's weird. Maybe it's a Central Pennsylvania thing.

[serious crayons]

My mother would never use green limas except as a side dish. But maybe I've misunderstood? I was thinking you were making this as a main dish.

That's the only time I've eaten green ones, too -- when my mom served a package of frozen lima beans as a side dish.

Dried lima beans soaked overnight, then basically stewed with ham hocks and broth, with diced potatoes added--that would have been a main dish. Before crock pots were invented, my mother would have done this on the stove. Later she would have used a crock pot. Of course she cooked the ham hocks first, to make the broth. Then she would have removed the meat from the bones and added it to the beans and potatoes.

Your mother and I follow almost exactly the same method. Main difference is I don't add potatoes -- I have, in the past, served beans over rice, but I've mostly cut rice out for carb reasons (beans are also high in carbs but their high fiber makes up for it). And I don't make the broth with the ham hocks; I use chicken broth, sometimes canned (well, usually boxed, but it's liquid) sometimes homemade from the carcasses of store-bought rotisserie chicken. I add it and the ham hock at the beginning of cooking the beans.
 

Ham hocks, bacon, molasses, brown sugar, and I-don't-know-what-all else is the way cooks where I come from would make homemade baked beans (unfortunately no bourbon). The difference would be that they would use dried lima beans--soaked overnight, of course. Maybe that's a Central Pennsylvania thing.

In my part of the country we usually just open a can of Van Camp's, maybe add some browned hamburger or bacon. But we don't often  eat baked beans anymore; that was more of a '60s thing around here.

[Jeff Wrangler]

That's the only time I've eaten green ones, too -- when my mom served a package of frozen lima beans as a side dish.

I once bought half a pint of fresh limas from a produce vendor at a farmers'market. They were good. ...

I have, in the past, served beans over rice.

That's the way I like chili, not as something you eat out of a bowl, but over a bed of brown rice. Sometimes I'll melt cheese on top of it. I usually pair it with a salad and a slice or two of whole-wheat bread. Not the healthiest of meals, but I like it. (OCD once told me I was weird for eating chili that way. I don't care. I like it that way.)
 

In my part of the country we usually just open a can of Van Camp's, maybe add some browned hamburger or bacon. But we don't often  eat baked beans anymore; that was more of a '60s thing around here.

They're still very much a thing, at least in Central Pennsylvania. When I buy canned baked beans, I prefer Bush's.

[Front-Ranger]

My latest meal involving beans is a turkey tortilla soup. It is a delicious mixture of black beans, corn, shredded turkey, Rotel tomatoes and chili, chicken broth, onions, garlic, and potatoes with garnishes of sour cream, green onion, and crisped tortilla strips.

[Jeff Wrangler]

My latest meal involving beans is a turkey tortilla soup. It is a delicious mixture of black beans, corn, shredded turkey, Rotel tomatoes and chili, chicken broth, onions, garlic, and potatoes with garnishes of sour cream, green onion, and crisped tortilla strips.

Sounds yummy!

[serious crayons]

That's the way I like chili, not as something you eat in out of a bowl, but over a bed of brown rice. Sometimes I'll melt cheese on top of it. I usually pair it with a salad and a slice or two of whole-wheat bread. Not the healthiest of meals, but I like it. (OCD once told me I was weird for eating chili that way. I don't care. I like it that way.)

What do you mean? It sounds healthy to me.

When I buy canned baked beans, I prefer Bush's.

Yes, another classic brand.

[serious crayons]

My latest meal involving beans is a turkey tortilla soup. It is a delicious mixture of black beans, corn, shredded turkey, Rotel tomatoes and chili, chicken broth, onions, garlic, and potatoes with garnishes of sour cream, green onion, and crisped tortilla strips.

I use roughly those ingredients to make what Minnesotans call a hotdish. My folks was Iowan, so I used to call it a casserole like normal people do, but in recent years I've embraced hotdish as part of my MN identity.

Anyway, I use similar ingredients except the broth and potatoes, typically using chicken rather than turkey, whole tortillas rather than strips, and adding red peppers. I layer everything with shredded cheese and splash with enchilada sauce, serve with sour cream.

[Jeff Wrangler]

What do you mean? It sounds healthy to me.

Well, I have to use canned chili and canned beans, and canned things, I think, are frequently loaded with salt. The cheese probably isn't very healthy either.

Maybe some day I'll learn to make my own.

[serious crayons]

Maybe some day I'll learn to make my own.

They are extremely easy. As you know from your mother's preparation, you just rinse them, throw them in a pot of water to sit overnight, drain off the water and add fresh water or broth, put on a burner or in a crockpot and voila.

Of course, you can also add seasonings, chopped onion or pepper, tomato sauce, ham, etc. That means slightly more work but the actual cooking of the beans is pretty easy.