At one point in my life, I knew about beans. Specifically, I knew about warm beans and rice as a topper for salad greens, garnished with some diced tomato and shredded cheddar. I knew it. I ate it. I loved it. It was good for me.
Then somehow I forgot. Why did I forget? Beats me.
Today I remembered. I made beans and rice, and put it in salad. First bite? So good I actually yelled with appreciation. Now all I can do is dream about beans. I think, sometime soon, a black bean quesadilla? Salsa and melted cheese? Nice crisp toasty flatbread?
If you have a Southern background, you’ll recall pinto beans cooked to soupy deliciousness, topped with chopped sweet onions, and accompanied by a big block of cornbread. Mmm…
I looove beans. Black beans mostly. Fry up an onion with cumin, toss in a can of black beans and some cayenne and garlic, cook down, mash a little, and add some lime juice. Presto, easy filling/dip!
The lime juice isn’t necessary, but I like the little bit of sourness it adds. I sometimes use some pickled serrano chiles instead of the cayenne (we had tons of serranos in our garden last year, and I put most of them in mason jars with vinegar); I add some of the vinegar instead of the lime juice.
And yeah, Liberal, the soupy pintos are wonderful, too!
Please forgive a slight hijack:
I just finished making (improvising on) a recipe called “Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup” for tomorrow’s dinner.
One of the ingredients it called for was “chili beans.” Wassat? I’ve never heard of them before, and a careful search through two different supermarkets failed to turn up any such animal, in either can or dry bean format.
So…do they have a different name? (I’m up here in Yankee land.) Or are they some other common type of bean and the ‘chili’ comes from how they are prepared? (I used a can of black beans instead. Should I maybe toss in a tablespoon of chili powder or something?)
I would guess either Kidneys, just because they’re usually used in O-F Mom’s chili, OR…at one time, I had seen a “chili beans” kinda thing, that were merely pinto’s canned in chili flavored goo…does it look like your recipe could or would benefit from some chili powder or cumin? If so, add some…I bet the author just meant the type/size of bean? Oh, and I’m in Yankee land as well, I guess.
Now that you’ve recently rediscovered your love of beans I can heartily recommend two brands.
First would be Hurst’s which you can probably find at your local grocery store. They make great bean soup/stew mixes.
Second, if you’ve got a little extra cash and are feeling a bit gourmet-ish, check out Indian Harvest, based out of Minnesota. I don’t know if they sell in stores, I’ve mostly gotten things mail-ordered from them. But they’ve got a great selection of beans & grains you’ve probably never even heard of.
Loves me some beans. Black bean chili, white beans cooked up with smoked pork and onions, black bean and mango salsa, cassoulet. I would never classify kidney beans as chili beans, but to each his own.
I always liked green beans (the pods), but the seed-type of beans were an abomination (they tasted like paste).
Then, I got a part-time, minimum-wage job at a Mexican stand in a food court in a shopping mall where I had constant access to their beans. They weren’t “refried” beans (which looked like regurgitated beans to me), but simply pinto beans that were boiled, salted, and run through a coarse food grinder to make a pinkish-grey lumpy paste for inclusion in several of our signature dishes.
We had bean burritos, bean tacos, combination whatnots, tostadas, etc.
I eventually (during all of our unsupervised free time) began experimenting with little bits of the greypink beangunk, and realized that it wasn’t that bad.
I’m a huge bean fan, now…and, in fact, just bought about 5 pounds of mixed dry beans to make loads of dishes with. There are (so the label says) 13 different kinds of beans in here, and since I cook for myself, it should last quite a while.
Still, they’re full of protein and fiber! I like them mostly in chili, but also in savory, ham-flavored soups: a la smoked hamhock-type stuff with various veggies and meats.
Mmmmm…beans…
As to the “chili beans”: there are canned brand names that offer those (my local is “Mrs. Grimes”).
The cornbread is essential. I don’t care what kind of beans you’re eating, you need a big slice of cornbread to go with it. I prefer to cook the onions in with the beans, because I can’t digest raw onions easily.
I’m gonna have to hit my favorite Mexican restaurant tomorrow, and get their signature platter. Taco and enchilada and rice and beans.
Yesterday, I had a pork tenderloin to cook, and I wanted to do a soy-based marinade, but I wanted pork & beans and couldn’t think of a good asian bean dish.
So, I made what I’m now calling “mole rub” (a dry rub with microplaned chocolate) for the tenderloin, and made black beans with onions, green chilis, and I used the Indian technique of “bhuna” (cooking spices in oil, and then adding to the already cooked beans) for my spices before adding to the black beans.
Other bean dishes. . .
I make a pork chop dish with cannellini beans & onions that is sort of Italian, and Maine baked beans with bacon and/or franks and corn bread.
I grew up eating pork n beans once a week. I’ll never forget about beans.
I make a pretty decent chili with kidneys and/or black beans.
I posted this in another thread some time back: Right here. You can make this with beef, also. I used canned black beans, but I’m sure dried would be fine, just taking much longer.
(I know. I’ve got a huge crush on that guy because he is so very funny…)
Cuban black bean spread
2 cups mashed black beans
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 -3 tablespoons orange or pineapple juice
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
salt and pepper
I like to make this very spicy and add red chili flakes, too. Great on flat bread or crackers.
I’m on the natto team, too, Autolycus. It may gross out the weaklings by looking stringy and weird, but those of us in the know can savor its cheesey, toasty flavor. I especially like it in a sushi with a little egg yolk and minced green onions. Yum. Now I’m going to want to have some for lunch today!