Can we talk about using dried beans, and some outstanding recipes?

K

karennoca

Well-known member
I will go first: Over the past two years, I have been working my way through Rancho Gordo’s excellent heirloom beans. My favorites are Christmas Lima, Royal Corona, Rio Zappe and Eye of Goat, so far.

Two weeks ago, I had a large, meaty ham hock in the freezer that I get from our local meat cutter.

I browned the ham hock well on all sides in the insert of my Crock-Pot right on the stove burner. I added just a touch of Grapeseed oil. Then removed it, set aside. Sauté one large

chopped onion, 8 garlic cloves, crushed, to the resulting juices. Add 8 ounces Royal Corona, and about 1/2 cup of Eye of the Goat beans. Add chicken stock to cover, put the ham hock back in, along with 2 bay leaves, and cooked away on high with the lid on. When the beans were almost done, I added dried oregano, thyme, a little coarse sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Then I added one 14 ounces can of organic fire roasted diced tomatoes. Give it a good stir and cook on low until the beans are done. Taste and add more salt, if needed. This was excellent, and the beans absorbed all the flavors so well in the Crock Pot. It was my first experience cooking beans in a slow cooker and I was very happy with the results.

This was served with Ina Garten’s cornbread with chili peppers. Delicious meal!

Note: Be sure to watch the chicken stock level and the beans expand while cooking. You will need to add more chicken stock as you go. I let the liquid cook down towards the end as I did not want this to be soupl.

Please tell us about a dried bean dish you love and make.

 
I did the crock pot for years

have you tried dried beans in a pressure cooker? This was a major turning point for me. Not only WAY faster but beans come out perfectly cooked.

What I often do is make a pork roast in the pressure cooker, first searing then adding plenty of water and usually some onions, celery, carrots. When the roast is cooked, I use the broth to make beans. I will do the same with rice for flavored rice.

Glad to see another Grapeseed oil user.

 
Dried Beans

I really enjoy using dried beans over canned. So much tastier. I agree with Paul. I can'tsay enough about using a pressure cooker. I had a stove top older one for many years and used it for beans with great results. About a year ago, bought an IP and really love it for beans, rice, chili, chicken breasts. Wonderful for making stock. So fast. BTW, crockpot for cooking dried beans works really well too, but IP and PC is so much faster. Also I see you are a fan of Rancho Gordo beans. Iam too! There is such a big difference in cooking shelf beans versus Rancho Gordo beans. The RC cook faster and taste creamier. I think it has a lot to do with freshness. With shelf beans, who knows how long they've sat on that store shelf? When I cook dried beans: black, chickpeas(for hummus). kidney beans etc, I usually cook up a large am't , use what I need then freeze the rest.

 
Diana Kennedy's Charro Beans

1/4 pound pork rind (I use salt pork)
1/2 pound pink or pinto beans
1/4 onion, sliced
2 small cloves garlic, sliced
6 cups water

Combine all and cook until done. Taste for salt fifteen minutes before and add a little if needed.

3 thick strips bacon, cut in small strips
2 tablespoons lard or bacon drippings
2 medium tomatoes, diced-I use a can if I can't find good ones
3 chile serranos, finely chopped ( I use jalapenos, but sometimes they don't have much bite)
2 large whole sprigs cilantro, chopped - I use a good half cup packed

Heat lard in skillet, render bacon in it until starting to brown, add remaining ingredients and cook over a fairly high flame 10 minutes or so, until well seasoned. Combine with beans and simmer uncovered on low flame about 15 minutes.

 
Tex-Mex Beans

Posted to Thread #18347 at 12:51 pm on Jun 8, 2010

1 pound dried pinto beans, cooked with salt & pepper

1 pound lean ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 or 3 cloves chopped garlic
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
2 to 3 tsp cumin
Ground pepper to taste & a little salt

Brown meat & veggies together in a skillet, add spices & stir a minute. Add tomatoes, reduce heat and simmer about ten minutes until most of liquid is absorbed. Add meat mixture to the pot of cooked beans and simmer ten minutes or so until flavors blend. Can add jalapenos to meat mixture if desired. I like to do these the day before, then take in a crockpot. Good plain, can also be ladled over chips/fritos and lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, etc. for a taco salad.

 
For several years I have watched the slow cooker industry as they made changes

FINALLY, along came Crock-Pot with an insert that went on the stove and the unit had great reviews. Many reviews were not positive for a long time. I love this time saving step of one less pot to dirty. Plus, the insert is tall enough so as not to allow that fine spray of oil to go all over my cooktop, during the browning step.
I have also watched the Instant Pot revolution, but for me, this new Crock Pot is just fine. At this time of my life, I am in no hurry to get anything done and I love the results. I still love to cook and try new methods, ingredients, etc. Simpler, the better!

 
What's funny about the instant pot is that Instant Pots are pressure cookers. . .

*scary, dreaded* pressure cookers. Gussied up with more safety features, more controls, programmable. I cannot tell you how many times I have given a pressure canning/cooking demo and people STILL think the things are going to blow up all over their kitchen.

 
Exactly--although I have had a PC for many many years with enough safety

features. I am giving away my old crockpot (which DOES have the ability to sear --or more importantly, act as a fryer) and my PC. The Instant pot is so much more than a one trick pony

 
I am a bit new to using grapeseed oil but I understand it is healthy,

maybe more so than evoo? It is less expensive and the reason I have started using in some of my foods. I use a lot less oil, of any kind, called for in recipes. They call for too much IMHO.

 
Things that go bang in the kitchen

Let me tell you about my fear/only experience with a pressure cooker. It was way, way back in history when I was in college and taking a home economics class and the ding bat of a teacher was going to show us how to cook a kidney in the pressure cooker. Long story short, the thing blew up in the classroom. Evidently she had also never learned that the kidney needed to be soaked and the stench was horrible. Class was cancelled and I was so traumatized that I have never had a pressure cooker. Since I have managed this long and am retired and have all the time in the world to cook, I don’t believe I will change now.

 
Oh, double ick. My mother used a PC successfully--the kind your HE teacher

probably used with the little pressure thingy on top that rocked around with steam coming out around it.
I enjoy my newer safer varieties!!
AND I thought for a long time that a slow braise on a stew would be MUCH better than pressure cooked--but cannot really tell the difference.

 
All the pressure cookers I have ever used all have had a rubber stopper. . .

to blow out excess pressure should the need be; blows straight up (of course don't be looking at it from over the top when it does).

I thing the think is, ANY pressure cooker, instant pot or old school, is a tool that needs to be watched; ya don't just set it and leave, it is not a crock pot!

And if the new instant pots say that you CAN set it, let it pressurize and leave, well, I would be leery of this. There are a lot of people out there that Murphy's Law was especially written for.

 
Yes, agree about the little rubber gasket. And I don't believe I'd leave an

Instant Pot unattended under pressure. Good call.

 
I use small white beans for a Greek salad: small white beans cooked with

a few whole garlic cloves, a few stems of parsley, half an onion. When tender, use a slotted spoon to remove to a bowl, then make an olive oil and lemon vinagrette and pour over the warm beans. Add very thinly sliced white onion (rinsed if you like), and let sit for a bit, then chill. To serve, add chopped parsley, garnish with hardboiled egg wedges (or I omit this now due to egg allergy). It is a wonderful room temperature side dish for lunch or supper, or a tailgate.

 
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