PERFECT PINTOS
Hello again!
Probably more than any other food storage item, people are always telling me that they don’t know how to cook dried beans. (I obviously can’t take a good picture. Here’s hoping that ’soft edges’ might give a boudoir effect, making a bowl of pintos even more appealing.)
With thanks for patient coaching and encouragement from my friend, The Amazing Cozette, I’ve finally learned how simple it is to prepare the least expensive protein. I’ve also learned that died beans, freshly cooked at home, taste so much better than the precooked canned beans from the grocery store. (Think freshly cooked vegetables vs. canned vegetables.)
Right now, I’m working on serving beans at least twice a week. My twelve-year-old and her friends have enjoyed the after-school bean burritos. I’ve enjoyed serving a healthy snack that comes from food storage. We’re saving money and improving our diet…but don’t tell the kids.
Fresh Ingredients
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Storage Ingredients
2 cups dry pinto beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 1/4 cups water
Sort beans for debris. Rinse. Cover with 2 quarts of water and soak for 12-24 hours. If possible, change the water three or four times during soaking process in order to draw out and remove indigestible sugars that cause digestive discomfort. Drain and thoroughly rinse beans. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for approximately 10-12 hours, until beans are tender. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt to taste, and serve.
October 8th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Yay! I am excited to see you blogging again!
October 8th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hi Liesa! So glad you’re back to blogging! I sure missed your spunky and informative posts. Can’t wait to see what other wisdom you have to share with us.:)
I don’t know if you’ll remember…but I posted a few months ago about my hopes that our daughter would find Mr. Right. Well…she’s engaged! We’re all so happy for her and the love of her life. Can’t wait for grandbabies! LOL!
Blessings, Joyce
October 8th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Liesa – I’ve always bought canned beans for food storage…I heard a suggestion that DRY beans will take a lot of a family’s precious resources during an emergency – WATER & FUEL to cook the beans.
Do you have some canned for emergencies – and then use dry beans for your everyday (…well… twice a week) cooking?
Love some feedback or suggestions on that.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Thank you very much for being so patient Jenni. Turns out that I really really needed to catch my breath for a few. But it feels good to be back in the saddle. Now, I’m going to try to think slow and steady thoughts. Sure.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Hey Joyce! You’re a love but pleeeeease don’t hold your breath for any great wisdom from my blah, blah, blah. I thought I was going to learn from YOU!
Congratulations on your daughter’s engagement! That’s wonderful news. (I may soon have a similar story to tell.) (And..I might be in huge trouble if my daughter reads this.)
(Act surprised.)
October 8th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
MMW: I’m with you on that concern and I’ve wondered about those same issues. Yes, I do have canned beans for my three-month storage and I think that they’re a very important ingredient in our food storage puzzle.
I’ll tell you what helps me feel calm and even secure about the water issue. I take both comfort and confidence in knowing that http://www.providentliving.org (First Presidency) suggests that we store 5 lbs. of dry beans, per person, per month. In fact dried beans are the only staple where an exact amount is specified. For me, that recommendation is absolutely inspired, so I have faith in the direction. Even in a crisis, our systems for water may be interrupted but water rarely leaves the earth, and there is always stuff to burn. The precooked canned beans would help us get through whatever, until water and basic cooking capability could be restored in some fashion. And please don’t get me wrong, I also use my canned beans on a fairly regular basis. They may not taste as good as the ones I’ve finally learned to cook fresh, but they certainly help out in a pinch. (Pinch happens.)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I hope these ideas have helped you feel better about both types of beans.
October 9th, 2009 at 6:44 am
Wecome back dear friend!
I, myself, have wondered about the bean situation when it comes to using all that water to soak them.
I have a coulpe of recipes that I have used before where you just put all the beans(along with the other soup ingredients) in a crock pot or even simmer on the stove, and there is no pre-soaking. The soups turn out wonderful but for what ever reason that soaking step has been eliminated.
It has caused a bit of gassiness in some of the family members but nothing terrible or worse than other times. If I were in a pinch and my family was hungry I guess a little gas would be the price to pay. I don’t think the pioneers were always able to soak beans before eating them.
I think I will do some googling and check this topic out furhter.
October 9th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Thaaaanks Kris! You make an excellent point. From the reading I’ve done, there seems to be just as many sites suggesting that the pre-soaking makes a difference vs. sites that say it’s not at all a necessary step. I think you will find that many people even believe that all that pre-soaking may limit a bit of gas but also pours a bit of nutrition, richness, and flavor down the drain. As far as my own family goes, I’ve prepared dried beans both ways. I also know people from South America who prepare beans both ways. And we know those sista’s are experts. So, maybe the whole deal comes down to an individual preference. I continue to suggest that people soak their beans because I want them to have the best chance for a positive experience. You, young lady, should experiment with this recipe but go ahead and eliminate the soaking step. Carefully sort and rinse the beans, throw everything but the salt into a crock-pot, turn it to low, and then go to bed. I bet you’ll find perfect pintos waiting for you in the morning. xo
October 9th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
I am going to venture into processing my own pinto beans into jars using a pressure canner!
October 9th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I wanted to mention also.. if that person wants to eliminate the soaking of beans and use the crockpot she is going to need more liquid.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:41 am
That’s right! Thanks Michelle for the reminder about needing more liquid if the beans have not been pre-soaked.
I totally want to “venture into processing my own pinto beans into jars using a pressure canner!” I’ve even been shopping for the canner…and Heaven knows I HAVE THE BEANS! Tiny bit scared to try. Wish I could find a good teacher.
October 10th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
SO glad you’re back!
A couple of months ago I canned some dried beans and just recently opened one of the jars. They were great. I followed the process found at this Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcw2pTmKRuE There are actually 3 videos as part of this lesson on canning dry beans. Warning: Turn down the music.
Now that I know how easy it is, I will be experimenting with these by adding some peppers or bay leaves to some too.
This jar of beans sure saved me the other day. Had a houseful of people, and was short of store-bought canned beans for a recipe. It was conference weekend and I had a houseful of folks coming over to watch conference and to eat chili. I wasn’t going to run to the store, so I was happy I had these done.
My family isn’t very big on beans though. I tried the beans and brownie recipe and it was a no-go at our house. Would love to see more great bean recipes so I can entice my family to eat them!
October 11th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I’m so glad to see you ‘back’! If you have any software that shows you your visits and tracks them, then you know I’ve been checking now and then, hee hee.
I was watching Cook’s Country (the America’s Test Kitchen folks) and learned a few things about cooking dry beans. They were making a Tuscan soup and through their process figured out that if you soak beans in salt water, the skins become more tender and the beans have a better tendency to stay whole through the entire cooking process. However, if there is salt present during the cooking process there are sometimes hard spots in the beans. So, soak in salt water, drain and rinse, then cook in plain water, and they are supposed to be the best.
I haven’t tried it yet, since I have quite a few cooked beans in my freezer right now.
I’m just so happy to read here again – welcome back!
-Laura at http://www.tenthingsfarm.blogspot.com
October 11th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Liesa,
I have a really good recipe for cooked beans that I got from a sister in my ward (cooking class). Note that she told me that when people have discomfort from eating beans, it just means that they don’t eat them enough! My husband was hesitant but now requests these beans several times a week.
Renee’s Beans:
Slow Cooked Beans
2 ½ cups of dried beans (pinto, black, red or any kind you wish)
2 Tablespoon bacon pate’ or canola oil or olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 Tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
Clean beans.
(Renee’ says to pour them on your sideboard and sort through them removing any little stones or debris you encounter. Scoop the beans into a colander or large strainer and rinse.)
Pour beans into a deep medium/large (4-6 quart) pot. You can also use a crock pot.
Add about 2 ½ quarts of water.
Remove any beans that float since they are the ones that are not fully formed.
Add the fat or oil, onion, salt and sugar.
Bring to a strong rolling boil and then reduce the heat to low. Let the liquid simmer at a very gentle boil.
Simmer for 2 to 4 hours depending on how new or old the beans are.
Beans need a long, slow simmer to reach their full flavor and smooth meaty texture.
You can add more salt if needed.
Bacon Pate’
Fry a package of bacon.
Put all of the cooked bacon and the grease in a high powered blender or processor.
Pulverize the bacon and grease creating a paste texture.
The mixture can be stored in a bottle in the refrigerator.
The bacon paste adds lots of flavor to beans, vegetables, soups etc.
I now use this bacon pate’ with a lot of things for flavor. You don’t need much but it adds so much flavor!
Laura
October 12th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Cooked beans can be frozen in 2-cup quantities and used to replace canned beans in many recipes. You’d better make some room next to your bags of frozen wheat, Liesa.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Thank you very much Charlene for the kind welcome back and the link to terrific videos on pressure canning dried beans. Watching that demonstration helped me feel ready to bottle my own. Now I just need to buy a pressure canner!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Hi Laura! I’m so glad my much needed pause in postings didn’t throw you off. I appreciate your friendship. You’r suggestion to soak the beans in salted water seems like a great idea. Thanks for sharing. I’ll give it a try.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Laura from Mesa Arizona, wooooow! Bacon Pate’? That sounds AWESOME…and just a tiny bit scary. jk Thank you for sharing your friend’s recipe for beans. I’ve already told the editor on my book to check this post for great suggestions for pinto beans. She’ll love your instructions. I know I did!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Hey Elizabeth! Long time! No kidding on the freezer space. That’s why I’m excited to learn how to bottle the little guys. I have this dream of having 7 quarts of pinto beans, 7 quarts of white beans, and 7 quarts of black beans, neatly stored in my kitchen cupboard. For me, that would be the big time!
October 13th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Charlene, I forgot to ask you something. Have you tried serving beans to your family using the rice and beans (basically a vegetarian taco salad) presentation? You can find the recipe/idea posted with the rice recipes. The most important ingredient is the fresh pico de gallo. (Giant thanks to my dear friend Kris for sharing that recipe.)
Our stake served the rice and beans meal to all the sisters, a couple of weeks ago, before the RS broadcast, and it was a huge hit. Concerns about not offering some kind of grilled chicken strips, beef, or shredded pork were forgotten in the wake of vegetarian converts. In the end, every bowl was empty. I’ve had numerous sisters tell me that they’ve served the same meal to their families and received rave reviews. Hope it will work for your family!