Beans beans the musical fruit...

Last week I made some fabulous beans!


We ate them on Tuesday with tortillas, shredded pork, cheese, avocado and salsa.  (We love the uncooked tortillas from Costco.)  On Friday night we had them again with mashed potatoes.  Sam even asked to have them for lunch (and she is our picky one!).  They were so good that I had to share the recipe.  My friend Gina tells me to add baking soda to the soaking beans to help control the gas??  I think I'll try that next time.  

I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs- Simple Bites.  Very good!

Frijoles Rancheros

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried pinto beans or any other variety dense meaty bean (I doubled it and still have some left over.  I'll freeze them for another taco night.)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4-5 pieces bacon, sliced
• 1/2 cup, packed, cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 ham hock or brisket (optional)
• Salt to taste

1. Soak 2 cups beans overnight. (Make sure to rinse your beans and rid of any dirt or small pebbles)

2. The next day, drain the beans and rinse.

3. In a thick bottomed pot or cast iron dutch oven, add the beans, onions and optional ham hock or brisket (I used two smoked pork chops).

4. Add enough water to the pot to cover the beans by 2 inches. Add salt to taste.

5. Bring to a boil.

6. Cover and drop the heat to low for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are soft and the meat is tender and cooked through.  Throughout the cooking time, make sure to check the beans and add more water if necessary.  (My beans cooked in 2 hours.)

7. With about a half hour left of cooking time you can begin to cook down the remaining flavors of bacon, garlic and cilantro.

8. In a pan or cast iron skillet, add the sliced bacon and cook until most of its fat has been rendered.  There is no need to brown the bacon.

9. Once most of the fat has been rendered add the garlic and cilantro and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

10. Add all of the contents in the pan to the pot of beans and simmer for an additional 15 minutes to infuse the flavors.

11. If you added pork or brisket, remove from the beans, shred and set aside for tacos.

12. Serve the beans in a bowl topped with freshly grated Queso Fresco, or any other soft cheese, and cilantro.

Hope you enjoy them as well!