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Categories:Viewed: 7 - Published at: 7 years ago
Ingredients
- 2 -3 2 -3 cups dried pinto beans or 2 -3 cups dried black beans
- water, for soaking
- 3 -4 slices bacon, crisply cooked or 1/4 cup solid lard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup finely minced white onion
- oil (for frying)
- salt
Method
- In large pot soak the beans for at least 4 hours. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until soft.
- If necessary, add more water as needed so that the beans do not dry out while cooking. Once beans are cooked, drain beans but *RESERVE* liquid.
- Fry up the bacon slices in large cast iron skillet and set aside to drain on paper towel. Reserve drippings.
- Meanwhile, mince the onion and garlic.
- *Heat a cast iron skillet on medium and saute the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings or solid lard until soft.
- With slotted spoon, transfer the cooked beans to the skillet. Lower temperature to low-medium. Add about a cup of the bean liquid and mix in the beans with the onion and garlic. Begin to mash the beans with a potato masher, adding more bean liquid as necessary to facilitate. Great grandma prepared these beans soupy with about 3/4 of the beans mashed, the remaining left whole. That is how great-grandma cooked them and that is how I like them. Keep mashing beans and adding liquid until soupy and not dry. Lower heat to simmer. Do not allow beans to dry out, adding more bean liquid if needed.
- Crumble the bacon and stir into the beans. Season with salt. Taste and reseason with more salt if necessary. Beans seems to require a good amount of salt to bring out their flavor.
- *NOTE: If you choose to use a cast iron skillet be warned that the iron content will turn lighter colored beans an unattractive pinkish-grey color. This will not affect the taste at all other than adding a bit of extra iron to your diet. If preferred, cook beans in a non-reactive pot.
- Save the bean liquid to rehydrate and reheat any leftovers, but *DO NOT* use plain water to reheat the beans.
