Simple, inexpensive, durable, beans are a staple in many cuisines. In industrialized countries we eat mostly industrial beans, cooked in the can in massive factories. They are fast, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive. I use them, but not always.
Cooking dried beans takes time, but is not complicated. My mother only cooked "Navy Beans" a smaller variety, I have found that I like a wider array of beans, Great Northern, Cannellini, and others. There are hundreds of hybrids out there.
The process if fairly simple. You always check the dried beans for things that are not beans, like small stones that slip through the processing. Most beans should be soaked overnight. The beans will absorb a lot of water, I start with a cup of beans in 2-3 cups of water.
The next day, bring the beans to a boil, reduce to a low boil or high simmer and let cook until the beans start to get tender. How long will this take? It depends on the beans, and the water. Seriously the mineral content in the water makes a big difference in how firm the beans are.
I like to then bake them.
I mix in a can of tomato paste, a chopped onion, a generous pour of molasses, and dark brown sugar. Add a little water if needed. If it is handy I add in chopped bacon. Then bake at about 300 degrees until the sugars caramelize and the beans have the desired texture and the sauce has thickened to your liking. How long will this take? 2 to 6 hours depending on the beans, the water, the oven. Again mineral content makes a big difference in texture, I don't add any salt in the process, not when boiling, not when baking, salt tends to make the beans hard, sometimes very hard.
Beans, beans, the magical not fruit
ReplyDeleteThe more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot, the happier you feel.
So eat your beans with every meal![
Someone has to go there.
Bean, beans, good for your heart.
DeleteThe more you eat the more you fart.
The more you fart, the better you feel.
So eat beans at every meal.
You can always count on your highly literary friends,
Oh goooooodddddd
DeleteYour blog audience never disappoints, Sweetie!
DeleteI love the poems above. We used to say them as kids. And I love beans too, but have never really done them from "scratch." You have inspired me!
ReplyDeleteThere really are a lot of great dishes that can be made with beans.
DeleteThis post is an absolute gas!
ReplyDeleteWhat was I thinking when I wrote this one.
DeleteI haven't done beans from their dried beginning in a very long time.
ReplyDeleteIt takes time,
DeleteI have never cooked beans like that. Our poem was shorter,
ReplyDelete"Beans, beans the musical fruit.
The more you eat the more you toot!"
We are all 12 year olds inside
DeleteGood protein!
ReplyDeleteGood food
DeleteI grew up on dried beans. I hate most of the to this very day. I still cook pintos, though. I seldom soak them overnight. I boil them for two minutes and let them sit for an hour or longer. I change the water, add an onion, bullion, garlic powder and pickled hot pepper. Oh, and a ham hock or shank. bring it to a boil and simmer until done.
ReplyDeleteI never heard the word toot for the passage of gas until I was an adult. We always said poot. Fart was not allowed in our house. My mother out cussed sailors, including my father, but one would've thought we said s--t or f--k by the way she reacted.
Anyway, when I first saw Blazing Saddles and the bean eating scene, I kept telling myself "They're not going to go there!" butt (heh) they did! Loved it! Sorry for the essay. My new medication seems to be making my fingers more wordy. Yes, I'm blaming the meds until something better comes along.
Love the new meds. My mother was intolerant of fart jokes, I was never sure why.
DeleteQ: What do you get when you cook onions and beans together?
ReplyDeleteA: Teargas!
Tears first,
DeleteWell, I will just say that I love beans of all kinds, and usually cook mine in a pressure cooker so it takes about ten to fifteen minutes from steam to done!
ReplyDeleteAnd toot away!
I might buy a pressure cooker
DeleteYou will be under pressure to pick the right one.
DeleteJudy used to bake beans, just about as you say. She said she only added salt late in the process, after the beans have softened. At that point she said it wouldn't make the beans hard again. I remember them being called Boston Baked Beans, for some reason.
ReplyDeleteYes, salt as part of the finishing. Boston Baked Beans, I think are related to the great molasses flood. https://www.history.com/news/great-molasses-flood-science
DeleteIt was an accident, I didn't intend this post to bring out jokes, fart jokes to be exact, and I am so glad it did. I am trying to learn to be more silly, less serious. And the comments have brought that out in me. THANK YOU all for the fun. Mushrooms next week, Bourbon the week after.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of the verb "camelize" before. Is that when you give somebody the hump?
ReplyDeleteFixed the typo.
Deletecamelize (ActiveSupport::CoreExtensions::String::Inflections)
ReplyDeleteAPIdock
https://apidock.com › rails › String › Inflections › camelize
By default, camelize converts strings to UpperCamelCase. If the argument to camelize is set to :lower then camelize produces lowerCamelCase.
good for you! We would be better off if we ate more beans and less meat.
ReplyDeleteAnd more musical according to the commentary.
Delete