Beans themselves are quite plain. No flavor really at all. In this case, that's perfectly fine, because beans love to absorb flavors. Starting small and dried out that you find in the store, as they sit in whatever liquid, they readily absorb whatever you place in front of them, ready and able to be transformed!
Now, what you have to decide before you start is, what kind of bean do you want? Black? Pinto? Red? They are each best spiced with their own variations. Pinto is more of a rural, rugged bean from the old west. Black complements Mexican food greatly. Red is excellent in chili, and in Cajun food. I have memories from the past of having Beans, Cornbread and Ham for dinner. Ohhhh, delicious Beans!
Regardless of the bean chosen, the kind you start with is dry. You have to soak it. In the past, the soak was done overnight. You dump the beans into a wide pot, or a plate, pick out the bad beans (visible defects, half beans, rocks), rinse them a few times (a colander comes in hand here), then place them in a deep dish full of water overnight. You can speed up this process by heating the water to a boil, then cutting the heat. This will speed up the liquid absorption to around 4 hours.
If you notice in the above picture, I have some spices added. Me personally, I like to add in some flavors to the water. Onion powder, Garlic powder, Chili powder. Some folks may think this wasteful, but the water I covered these beans with didn't have any flavor, and the beans are absorbing the water, soooo... Also, you want several inches above your beans. These puppies will absorb liquid like mad and will expand greatly.
 |
| 4 hours soak on the left, un-soaked on the right |
Once soaked, drain the beans and rinse with clear water. Then comes the cooking part!
First, I start out with a mirepoix of 2 Celery stems, 1/2 of a medium Onion, diced, and 2 whole Carrots, peeled and diced.
Once the mirepoix has mingled for a few minutes, add into a large crockpot. Add your soaked beans, and about 4 cups of water, or better Chicken stock. Add spices, Pepper, Bay leaf, Garlic, Thyme.
Hold off on the Salt till finished. Salt makes the skins on the beans less receptive to liquid, and a bit tougher. Once cooked, add Salt to taste.
2 Lbs Pinto Beans
2 Celery stalks, chopped
2 Carrot, chopped
1/2 white Onion, chopped
2 Tsp Garlic powder
1/2 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Black Pepper
2 Bay leaf
Salt to taste
6 cups Water (or Chicken stock)
Sort beans, and soak overnight, or boil briefly for 1 minute, then sit for 4 hours. Rinse. In a sautee pan combine chopped Onion, Carrot, and Celery over medium heat. Sweat for 3 minutes. Once completed, add to a large crock pot. Add Beans, Garlic powder, Thyme, Pepper, Water/Chicken stock (enough to cover the beans with about 1/2 inch of liquid), and Bay leaf. Stir intermittently while cooking. Cover, set heat on crock pot to high. Cook for 8-12 hours in crock pot. Monitor and add 1/2 cup Water/Chicken stock as needed to keep beans slightly submerged with liquid. After 8-12 hours, check for tenderness. Add Salt to taste. Enjoy!
An afterthought here: I really like beans. They have good flavor, are versitle, and freeze well. A few years ago a person I met wanted to make a BBQ dinner for some folks, and brought along some tasty Pinto beans. I talked to him briefly, commenting that it tasted quite a bit like what I've had in the past, and asked him if he had any pointers. He asked me if I wanted to know the secret to "makin' a good bean." I replied yes, curious to what his experience could pass to me. His reply: "The secret to making a good bean is.... well you just gotta make it right!" I'm not sure if he was holding back, or if it was a family secret. I stood for a few moments waiting for something a little more tangible. He merely shook his head and said "Yep, make it right."
What is your mirepoix blend for black beans. I'm thinking medium green chilies from Hatch, NM and onion?
ReplyDelete