With rain and runoff flooding much of the fishable water around, might as well throw on a pot of beans on the stove.
Since we offered to share our go to bean recipe last week in the Friday Feast fajita taco recipe enough emails have come in either making fun of the art of bean cookery or asking for the formula.
Indispensable with good Que or TexMex meals, a good bean recipe can save the day when you’re after simple, hearty, good tasting fare. We cook up a big pot of beans once or twice a month (at least) and nibble on it for a few days.
While you can of course leave it out, bacon is one of the magic ingredients for these beans. You can always cut back on the amount, but a bowl of these beans can be a meal in itself. Salt pork, diced smoked brisket or sausage (ground or link) also work wonders in the recipe.
Trial and error as well as local loyalties have led us to favor Moose Drool in the recipe, though there are of course a few other brown ales out there that aren’t bad.
3 cups pintos (black work as well)
Enough water to cover beans by two inches
12-16 ounces of bacon, diced medium
2 tbs olive oil
1 really big or two medium onions, chopped
6 garlic gloves, minced (yep, six)
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 bottle Moose Drool
2 tsp salt
2 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs ancho chile powder
4 tbs (or more) finely chopped pickled jalapenos
cilantro, chopped at your command
Get started. Rinse and sort the beans. Cook beans and bacon in water for an hour or so.
Saute. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, set aside for a minute.
Put it all together. Now add the salt (salting beans too early makes them tough), cumin, ancho powder, chopped tomatoes, Moose Drool, jalapenos and the sautéed onion / garlic mixture. Simmer at least another couple of hours until the beans are tender. If you prefer your beans a little thicker, smash roughly 1/3 of the beans with a spoon or potato masher.
Cilantro, pending your view of cilantro, goes in right before serving. We say it’s in.
The rain will stop some day.
Enjoy.
Tags: Friday Feast
