Pinto Beans

When reminiscing about the bygone days of my youth and all of the great holiday meals lovingly created by my Mamaw, I think of pinto beans. Honestly, I don't believe she thought a meal was ready unless there were some pinto beans present, somewhere. Even if it were her vegetable soup we were savoring, pinto beans were in there!! Mamaw is gone now, along with much of my extended family. My little immediate family is sadly split when it comes to favoring beans, so I cook precious few of them these days, but when I do, I usually prepare them in a method very different from my grandmother's. Mamaw's were always cooked on the stove with ham hocks and chili powder. I use two different methods depending on the season and flavor them in ways that suit the taste of my little family.

During hot weather seasons, the oven heats of up the house too much for the air-conditioning to keep up. So although I favor a baking method for cooking beans, I use the slow cooker to keep things cool when the weather is hot. Since it's summertime right now, I'll be using the slow cooker method, today. In the wintertime, I'll prepare them for you using my favorite method, the oven! Until then, I hope you try these and I hope you love them as much as I do!

Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

1lb. Dry, picked pinto beans

Water (for soaking)

1 Whole medium onion

2 or 3 Whole celery tops

1 Packet Goya Ham Bouillon

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Water to cover (for cooking)

1T Chili Powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Wash the dry picked (when I say picked, I mean cleaned of debris) beans and place them into a large container that can be covered. Add water to the beans to cover by 3-4 inches. Cover the container and allow the beans to soak over night. The next morning, drain the soaked beans and add them to your slow cooker. Add a whole peeled onion and several whole celery tops and stir in one packet of the ham bouillon and the olive oil. Add boiling water to cover the beans by about an inch. Cover the slow cooker and set the pot to High and cook for 4 hours or on low for about 8 hours. About an hour before serving, remove the onion and celery as they have completed their mission and stir in the chili powder and taste the beans. Add salt and pepper to your taste. 

Is soaking the beans overnight a must? No, but Mamaw did it and if it was how she did it, then it is right! **smile** (If you choose to not soak, please cook the beans on high for 8 hours!) The Goya Ham Favored Concentrate is available in the Latin area of my grocery store, not with the other bouillon and stock. Look for it there. I could have used a ham hock, but I didn't have one. Bacon will work too, but I didn't want the bacon fat in there. I like the flavor and health benefits of olive oil! If Mamaw were here I think she'd smile at me and kindly listen to all my reasoning about why I 'do' them this way and then quietly teach me another recipe. I miss Mamaw.

One of my favorite ways to serve these is with home fried potatoes along side some cold sliced fresh tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. The only things missing are Mamaw and some Texas home canned Chow-Chow. Mighty-fine eating!!