January 16, 2008
Sprucing up the beans
This morning, I received an e-mail from a reader named Jeanne who wondered if I have any ideas for flavoring a pot of white beans without using ham hocks, bacon, or other fattening products.
I admit that while I'm a big fan of the smoky flavor of pork in just about any legume (blame Grandma and those Southern roots), it can be hard to justify if you're watching your health.
According to Saveur, the founder of heirloom bean company Rancho Gordo, Steve Sando, says "Beans shouldn't need to be cooked with a ham hock to taste good."
True, but they need to be cooked with something, don't they? Who wants to eat a plain old salted bean?
Here are a couple of suggestions for Jeanne:
1. Use a smoked turkey product, such as turkey bacon or a smoked turkey leg, in place of the ham hock. That will infuse the beans with that nice flavor while also providing the little bits of meat that some folks so enjoy in a bowl of beans.
2. Use a little bit of liquid smoke in the beans to add the smoky flavor without all the added fat. I think that's a great idea, but would caution that cooks try a little bit at a time, taste the beans, and then gradually add more if needed.
3. Add some smoky barbecue sauce to the beans. But only if you want the color to change.
4. I believe that a nice sauteed mixture of garlic, onions, celery, and perhaps carrots or red peppers with a few bay leaves would also jack up the flavor in a pot of beans.
If anyone else has any suggestions for Jeanne and other bean-lovers, start typing!
Oh, and if you're going to make a big pot of beans, you might as well make a pan of cornbread, as well. Now there's a whoooooole other blog entry...
Comments
[January 16, 2008 11:04 AM]
RichI'm a great big fan of using green Tabasco to flavor beens.
Cornbread! Thus begins the sweet/not sweet cornbread debate.
I vote for SWEEEEEET!
[January 16, 2008 12:44 PM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/I like just about any good cornbread, particularly Mexican cornbread with corn, green chiles and cheddar cheese. I recently got a cookbook in the mail called "The Cornbread Gospels" and it is exactly what you might guess: an entire cookbook full of cornbread recipes! I'll share some in tomorrow's blog entry. From the looks of the weather forecast, it'll be a good day for a hot pan of cornbread!
[January 16, 2008 2:08 PM]
AutumnI absolutely LOVE cornbread! It reminds me of my Mom's (and Granny's) cooking. My Mom would make a pot of pinto beans but would make 2 types of cornbread... one baked to crumble under the beans and one fried to eat with it!
[January 16, 2008 2:28 PM]
HenryPeppers for beans. Even the pizza variety crushed red peppers are good in beans. Cumin also works well. I prefer chicken boullion in white beans.
Bacon and ham hocks are not fattening. They are fatty. Carbohydrates make you fat. Fats make your arteries fat.
[January 16, 2008 8:46 PM]
DebbieI have to have cornbread when I make beans, but not the sweet kind. I do not like sweet cornbread. My Grandma made Mexican cornbread one time and put too many jalapenoes in it. It was too hot for her and my stepgrandfather to eat so she threw it out to her neighbors chickens. She said you could tell when they ate it, because you'd hear, bawk, bawk BAWK!
[January 17, 2008 10:22 AM]
carrie : →http://www.gingerlemongirl.comLOL... the big cornbread debate! I had no idea it was debatable! My family has always eaten sweet cornbread and it's my favorite. It wasn't until I blogged about it a couple of months ago that I realized people didn't agree with my notion that sweet corn bread was originally southern... LOL I had more comments on that post than I have any other post! LOL
I just made corn bread this week too... I just have to make it with a big pot of soup or beans... I can't help it!
[January 17, 2008 10:48 AM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Carrie, what kind of beans/soup did you make? Did you see my gluten-free article? I have to admit that I'm a fan of sweet cornbread myself, but I don't like it super sweet. Just a touch of sweetness is perfect. I think it accentuates the corn flavor. I want to talk about the cookware, though! I love perusing the Lodge selection at Northwest Hardware on Williamson Road. I've always wanted one of those pans to make little corn-shaped cornbread sticks. A cast iron skillet is the best, though.
[January 17, 2008 11:21 AM]
AutumnMy husband always had sweet cornbread, but I never had. The first time I made cornbread for him, I think he thought I was the worst cook in the world! Then we had a cornbread cookoff... I tasted his and was surprised at how sweet it was. Now, we made our own recipe that isn't quite as sweet, but not as plain, either.
[January 17, 2008 2:49 PM]
carrie : →http://www.gingerlemongirl.comLindsey -- I DID see your article!! I'm so glad you did that article! It was great!! It's amazing how common a wheat allergy or celiac disease is! And also amazing at how little they accommodate for this at many restaurants and stores (especially in the rural neck of the woods I live in!)
I made a version of Mulligatawny Stew, which after looking up the recipe on the internet is NOTHING like i made the other day! LOl one of those recipes that changes with everyone who makes it I think!
And YES, cast iron is WONDERFUL for making a great cake of cornbread! I think those little skillets with the corn shapes are neat too! I've never used one though! That would be a fun thing to do!
And I agree...I like cornbread just SLIGHTLY sweet, not cake sweet!!
[January 17, 2008 8:40 PM]
DebbieI always use a cast iron skillet when I make my cornbread. It makes it nice and crusty. I like to saute chopped onions, and add them to the batter before baking. I like the Mexican kind too, or to just add onions, bacon and cheese sometimes.
[January 26, 2008 12:20 AM]
RobL : →http://www.pepperfool.comI would add carmelized onions and Spanish smoked paprika. It's like chipotle but not as hot. It gives a good "smoked ham" flavor without the meat. I use it in some vegetarian soups and folks swear there's ham in it.
[January 26, 2008 7:07 PM]
seththis sounds like a job for BACON SALT.
also, imo, there is no cornbread superior to a 30 cent box of jiffy mix.
[February 11, 2008 7:52 AM]
Angie : →http://cornbreadI went out of town to a friends family reunion a ew years back and im old school when it comes to corn bread I like the iron skillet method with a sweet taste but someone had made a cornbread reciepe and added broccoli and cheese and made corn muffins out of them with a little butter they were fantastic!
[February 11, 2008 10:48 AM]
HenryAny bread recipe can be improved with a healthy shot of fat.
I made split pea soup and had to use Italian Sausage for flavoring. It wasn't bad but it required two chicken bouillon cubes for flavoring. The Italian Sausage does not render flavor like a ham bone