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Dried Beans and Variations

Source of Recipe

Me


List of Ingredients

Yes, these are the same ingredients I use in My Black Bean Soup. The only major difference is the amount of water used.

about 2 cups water, more if needed
1-1 1/2 lbs. black beans, or other dried beans, soaked overnight
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 meaty hambone
2-3 lg. onions, chopped
2 dried pods red pepper
2 T. vinegar
1 lb. sausage (Andouille is authentic; Polish does nicely), sliced thin and then cut in half.
1/2 to 1 bell pepper, minced (optional)
sour cream
chopped green onions
grated sharp cheese (optional)
cooked rice



Recipe

Black Beans and Rice:
Simmer hambone in water until meat nearly falls from the bone. Remove bone and when cool enough to handle, pull off meat and return to pot. Add beans, onions, garlic, and red pepper pods. Simmer until beans are soft, about an hour. Remove a cup or so of beans, mash and return to pot to thicken. Add vinegar and sausage, pre-cooked if desired. Simmer until sausage is cooked. Serve over rice.

Red Beans and Rice: Simply substitute red for black.

Pintos: Omit sausage. Use meat from hambone in something else if you plan to make refried beans.

For Refried Beans , mash beans well. Add chopped canned chili peppers. Fry in a little bacon grease or oil until heated through--stir constantly. Or place a little oil in casserole and microwave beans on high for 5 minutes. Stir once.

Note: Instead of soaking dried beans overnight, they may be softened by covering with water and boiling for TWO minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 1-1 1/2 hours.

To prevent beans from becoming tough, add salt only after beans have cooked. John and I discovered this the hard way. Tough beans never soften!