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. 

Vegetable Stock from kitchen scraps

The first recipe for homemade vegetable stock I made called for 11 whole vegetables and only yielded four cups of stock. The thought of throwing away all these perfectly good vegetables once I had cooked them weighed on my conscience so much that I tried to cook things like meatloaf or fritters to incorporate them into. I quickly realized that I had already cooked all the flavor and nutrients out of them, and that I was never going to make such a wasteful recipe ever again!

I started thinking about all the vegetable scraps I throw away each time I cook, and decided to try collecting them for vegetable stock instead. I now keep a gallon-sized storage bag in my freezer at all times and once it's full with perfectly good peelings, ends and other leftover vegetable scraps that never made it into a meal, I boil them and have something delicious.

 There are a few guidelines to know before you start your freezer bag collection.

1. Always wash your vegetables well. Since you're saving peelings, you want to be sure there's no dirt on them.
2. Save scraps that are perfectly edible, but may not be either aesthetically or texturally pleasing (such as the top end of a carrot or the exposed side of a half-used onion that has gotten dry in the fridge). Don't save anything that you wouldn't eat, like a bad spot cut out of a potato. Remember, you're looking for flavor!
3. You will want a good variety of vegetables to give your stock a complex flavor. If your freezer bag only has potato and onion scraps, it's probably not going to be the best tasting stock.
4. You don't have to chop the scraps you add to your freezer bag. Big (1-2") chunks will do and be easier to remove at the end.
5. Not every vegetable is good in a soup stock. Any cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, kale) should not be used. You also wouldn't want to use peppers, squash, corn or tomatoes. Root vegetables work best, in addition to some herbs. 

Vegetables I use:

• Carrots (clean peelings, ends and green tops)
• Parsnips (clean peelings and ends)
• Turnips (clean peelings and ends)
• Thin-skinned potatoes, such as Yukon Gold (clean peelings)
• Celery (ends and leafy tops)
• Onion and garlic (ends, no paper)
• Leeks (ends)
• Swiss Chard (the hearty stalks)
• Tender fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, chives, savory

In addition to a 1 gallon freezer bag full of a mix of the above vegetables and herbs, you will also need:

10 cups cool water

3 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

Add frozen vegetable scraps to a large stock pot. Cover with water and add bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the lid and let cool. 

Scoop out cooked vegetables with a mesh strainer and gently press any excess liquid back into the pot. Once you have removed nearly all the large vegetables, pour your remaining stock through the strainer. If the stock still has small pieces of vegetable matter, line your strainer with a coffee filter and pour through again.

Either use your stock within three days or freeze it.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Stew

Comfort food has never been so healthy! Spicy curry and sweet butternut squash make a great combo. Roast the butternut squash in advance to make this quick to prepare.

Inspired by Martha Stewart Living's Red Lentil and Squash Curry Soup.

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 T. olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

fresh ginger, minced (no more than the garlic)

1 T. curry powder

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 cups chopped Kale, Collards or other hearty greens

salt and pepper to taste

On a baking sheet, toss squash with 1 1/2 T. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 425 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender. Heat remaining 1 1/2 T. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger until tender. Add curry powder and cook for one more minute, or until fragrant. Add vegetable broth and lentils. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add kale and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in roasted squash with any pan juices and cook for another minute until warmed throughout. Season with salt to taste and serve hot.

BEV NOTE: Roasty stout or porter ale

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.

The Roaster Chicken that Could - Day 3

If you've had enough of chicken after the first two meals, chicken soup a quick way to use your remaining chicken and broth, and it freezes easily. Thaw it on a day when you need a quick lunch or dinner, or save it for when you or someone else in the family comes down with a cold.

Basic Ingredients
1 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
remaining chicken broth
rice or noodles
salt, pepper and seasonings to taste

Instructions
Heat oil in a stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, fresh or dried herbs of your choice (and other desired veggies that need to soften) and sauté until tender. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add rice or noodles and cook covered until they reach desired tenderness. If using other veggies, like greens, add them at this time too. Add chicken and let it heat through for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.

PS - I used home-made linguini noodles here, but that's a subject for another day!