Pinto Beans and Cornbread

This is the equivalent of red beans and rice for poor mountain folks in the Southern Appalachians. Most old timers around here were raised on "soup beans." For some, it was a daily staple, along with cornbread and maybe some greens.

Dried beans are easy to harvest, store well over the winter and are a cheaper source of protein than meat. To give the beans extra flavor and make them more filling, a ham hock or fat back was added to the cooking water. Since those aren't staples in my kitchen, I substitute bacon grease and add some additional seasonings. But I do still serve them with my Southern Skillet Cornbread and collard greens. 

1 cup dried pinto beans

1 T. bacon grease

1 1/2 c. chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 t. ground cumin

1/4-1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

6 cups water

1/2 t. salt

Cover pinto beans in cold water for 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse. Heat bacon grease in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and sauté until tender (about 5 minutes). Add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook beans in a slow boil partially covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are tender and liquid has thickened.

While beans are cooking, prepare cornbread and collard greens. Season beans with salt and serve. 

Garbonzo Bean Patties

These vegetarian patties are good as an appetizer or as the protein with a salad. I serve them with a yogurt herb sauce that makes them even more savory.

Adapted from the Everyday Food blog's Chickpea Fritter recipe.

2 cups cooked garbonzo beans (aka chickpeas)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 egg

1 tsp. hot sauce, like Sriracha (optional)

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup olive oil

I cook my own dried beans because I like to control the salt and seasonings in them. See my previous post on dried beans for instructions, or just use a 15.5 oz. can of garbonzo beans, rinsed and drained. If serving with the yogurt herb sauce, prepare that first and refrigerate while you make the patties.

In a food processor, combine garbonzo beans, scallions and parsley and pulse until combined, but still chunky. Add egg, hot sauce, flour and salt. Pulse a few more times, careful not to puree too finely.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and drop scoops of the bean mixture into the pan, pressing down to make a patty. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side (or until browned), flipping only once.

Transfer from pan to a paper towel to absorb excess grease. Serve with yogurt herb sauce.

Yogurt Herb Sauce

1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

3 T. mayonaise

3 T. buttermilk

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 t. fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Combine yogurt, mayonaise and buttermilk. Add garlic, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you can, make this ahead of time to give the garlic and thyme time to fully season the cream sauce.

Dried beans

Dried beans are an essential staple in Southern Appalachian cooking. Some of my elder Tennessee relatives remember having soup beans for supper every day growing up. I felt silly asking them what soup beans were, since I figured the name tells you all you need to know, but I wanted details. Essentially they are dried beans that have been cooked in water until tender, with a little bacon grease or ham hock added for flavor. You serve them with their juices and eat it either as soup or served over cornbread with however much of the liquid you desire.

I've always loved beans, but never cooked dried beans, or even thought of them as a staple until now. With a little advance planning, any bean dish can be made with dried beans instead of canned, and the difference in taste is worth the extra effort.

Buying dried beans
I recommend going to a grocery store that sells bulk foods by weight, not only because they usually have a better variety of dried beans than what you find pre-packaged on the shelves, but also because the beans are likely fresher. If you're used to cooking with canned beans, remember that dried beans enlarge when they cook. Depending on the kind of bean, it may double in size when cooked.

Cooking dried beans
If you have no time constraints, begin preparing your beans the night  before you want to serve them. Rinse your beans thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt or grit, and pick out any beans that look discolored or shriveled. Transfer beans to a bowl and cover in 2 inches of fresh water. Let beans soak in the refrigerator overnight until you're ready to cook them the next day. If time is of the essence, then you can expediate the soaking process by using hot water and letting them sit covered at room temperature for at least an hour.

Before cooking your beans, discard the liquid they soaked in. Add beans to the pot you want to cook them in, covering them with 1-2 inches of fresh cold water. Place them on the stove over medium heat. While beans are slowly coming to a simmer, add in any herbs or seasonings that you want to flavor your beans with. Do not add salt at this point. Put a lid on the pot and stir occasionally, maintaining a simmer, for 90 minutes or until beans are tender.

Soup bean flavoring suggestions
I add different seasonings to the beans depending on the type and what I'm using them for. If you want to just season the beans, add seasonings whole and tie them in a bundle to easily remove them when you're done cooking.

• Black beans: Oregano sprigs, garlic cloves, black peppercorns. Makes a great side dish if you use chopped fresh or dried oregnao flakes, minced garlic and ground black pepper. Serve with some of their liquid and a scoop each of salsa and sour cream.
• Chick peas/garbonzo beans: Bay leaves, garlic cloves, black peppercorns.
• Great Northern/Navy beans: Rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves, black peppercorns.
• Pinto beans: Bay leaves, ham hock or other scraps of pork. This is how to serve traditional soup beans, but usually if I have ham, I'd just make ham and bean soup.

Once the beans are tender, you can add salt and serve them as soup beans, use them in place of canned beans in any recipe, or store them in their liquid in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

One recipe that I think has been greatly improved by using dried beans rather than canned is hummus. The secret to a healthy, creamy hummus is including the bean liquid. I'd never dream of using the slimey goop that canned beans are packed in.

You can make hummus with any beans, not just chick peas, but let's start with the what's familiar.

Chick Pea Hummus
I think it's best to make hummus in advance and give the flavors at least a few hours to mingle for best results.
Ingredients
1 heaping cup of dried garbonzo beans
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 c. bean liquid
2 T. tahini
1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
Dash of black pepper

Instructions
Follow the above instructions for cooking dried beans, using a bay leaf in the cooking water. You should have 2 cups of cooked beans. Reserve cooking liquid. In a food processor, chop 2 cloves of garlic. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. You may want to add fresh herbs or veggies to the food processor and make a flavored hummus, such as parsley, chives, carmelized onions, roasted red peppers, etc.

You can make just plain hummus and then dress it up when you serve it, like adding olives, crushed red pepper and olive oil. Pita or tortilla chips make great dippers, but it's great with carrot sticks, too. I also use it in a vegetarian wrap with lettuce, carrots,green onions, tomatoes and feta cheese.

Black Bean Hummus
Instead of salsa and guacamole at your next fiesta, try this spicy black bean hummus for an interesting change.

Ingredients
1 heaping cup of black beans
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 T. bean liquid
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1 T. tahini
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
1 small jalapeno, copped and seeded


Instructions
Follow the above instructions for cooking dried beans, using oregano sprigs in the cooking water. You should have 2 cups of cooked beans. Reserve 1 T. cooking liquid. In a food processor, chop 2 cloves of garlic. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. If you like it spicier, you can leave the seeds in the chopped jalapeno, or top the hummus with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Black bean salsa

When you have fresh ingredients, all you need is a little bit of salt to make them taste amazing. That is the secret to this salsa. When tomatoes, onions and peppers are in season, this salsa is a great way to make use of them. Grab some chips and a few friends, and you have a winning appetizer!

Ingredients
2 of the freshest tomatoes you can find, chopped (from either your own garden, the farmer's market, or your grocery store's "local" produce section) -- this is important because the tomatoes are the star here
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup red or white onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon coarse ground salt
fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired

Instructions
Combine all ingredients and season with salt and fresh herbs (if desired). Use a slotted spoon to transfer salsa to serving dish or storage container. Fresh tomatoes will create a lot of natural juices, which you want to strain out before serving. No need to make in advance because there's really no need for this salsa to marinate. But you can keep in the fridge for about a week, if you can keep from eating it for that long! Serve with tortilla chips.