I’m talking about stews, slowly cooked or baked variants (consumed with spoon or fork (casserole), respectively). And how do you call it. And why you think it is original and that is only known in your region. And what are other ingredients. And why do you like it. Or not.
International examples are cassoulet, faijolada, fabada and standard old good American baked beans & pork.
Here on West Balkans we call that dish pasulj (stew variant) and it is usually made with some kind of smoked meat (usually pork, and in muslim regions, I guess not pork). But more south you go more peppers will go into the recipe. And larger the (white) beans get.
The best I had have was variant with beef tongue jerky.
Off topic: there is not enough food topics right now here, so I had to intervene.
Off topic 2: “NOT ENOUGH BEANS!” Which movie can you recall?
Around here (Texas), the most common bean dish is regular old pinto beans, cooked in a more or less Mexican style, with some kind of (usually) smoked and cured pork, chiles, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro.
A close second would be some variant on the blackeyed pea/crowder pea/field pea/cream pea, which despite the names, are essentially beans. They’re cooked more simply- usually bacon and sometimes some onions. They’re not strictly a Texas thing at all- more of a Southern thing.
I don’t think either is particularly unique, other than that’s what apparently grows well here, as both are more or less traditional recipes from time immemorial. I like beans in general, and I like both Mexican and Tex-Mex food, so it’s not at all surprising that I’d like where those two groups intersect. Same thing with Southern food- I like it, and I like beans, so I like blackeyed peas.
I will offer that fresh blackeyed/crowder/cream peas are MUCH better than dried, FWIW. Never had fresh pintos though.
In Kentucky it’s definitely burgoo. Tomatoes, beans and whatever meat you can catch. Usually chicken and pork but traditionalists might throw rabbit or squirrel in there too, though I’ve never tried that.
The indigenous cuisine of New York City doesn’t involve any bean dishes, but of course we steal from the best. I personally make
New England baked beans with salt pork (Maine-style in particular, which uses larger beans like the Yellow Eye and is less sweet than Boston-style)
New Orleans red beans and rice with smoked pork and sausage
Southeastern Hopping John with bacon and ham
Appalachian pintos with bacon and onion
Texas pintos described by bump above
Caribbean peas and rice with smoked pork
Brazilian black beans (feijoada) with mixed meats
And all sorts of bean and pea and other legume soups, usually with a ham bone or a hock.
Navy (pea) bean soup, stewed in the crock-pot for 8-ish hours with a ham bone that has lots of extra ham on it. Turns any dinner time into Blazing Saddles.
Years ago, my folks found a ham bone (with lotsa extra ham on it) in the back of the freezer that they figured was better than two years old. It looked fine, it smelled fine (for something frozen), so a crock-pot of soup was made–the plan was, if it reeked, off to pizza town. There was plenty to go around and it was freakin’-A wonderful. Just the best.
Lately, I think Mom has been using Bush’s navy beans in the can. I can’t tell any difference. Duke, the Golden Retriever, knows something, by gum.
'round here, the native (well, after the aboriginal population) dish is Boston baked beans. Beans, molasses and maybe just enough bacon/pork for flavoring.
But head just a bit south to the Portuguese immigrant area and you can get Feijao (thick stew with white beans, sausage), or thinner white bean, sausage and kale soup.
Or head west to the Polish area, and maybe is a stretch cause the beans are a really minor component, but you can get kielbasa with kapusta (smoked pork/beef sausage with a side dish of sauerkraut with onion and yellow split peas).
And not really particularly native to around here, but I don’t think anyone has mentioned split pea/ham soup.
I understand you CAN make it with white beans, but I have always used potatoes, the way the Portuguese, the Brazilians, and the good Lord herself intended.
Hey, Ike, you just described Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana,” but I can’t swear it’s kale (and neither can the wait staff, apparently.) I think they add peperoncino to it for kick. YUM!
“Tuscan White Bean Soup” is another soup I love to make…basically a vegetarian white bean/vegetable soup with shredded ESCAROLE added for a flavor punch.
I’d link to a recipe but the one I use is on the COOK’S ILLUSTRATED website and if I tried to sneak you past the security I’m afraid Christopher Kimball would come to my door and beat me to death with a bow-tie.
Any dark green leafy vegetable makes a good soup better. I particularly love cabbage soups. I am SUCH a peasant.
