Recipes for Beans and Legumes

From the Kitchen of Ramona Lozano, Stockton, California

• 2 large cans pork & beans
• 1 large can tomatoes (whole or diced)
• 2 large onions, chopped
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 1 Tablespoon chile powder
• ½ lb. bacon, diced and fried
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned

Combine all ingredients. Cook, uncovered in the oven for two hours at 300°F.

• 1 pkg (1 lb.) navy or pea beans
• 6 cups water
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ lb. salt pork, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, peeled
• 1/3 cup molasses
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

1. Soak beans overnight in a large bowl in the 6 cups water. Place beans with soaking water in a large kettle; add baking soda; bring to boiling; lower heat and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Drain in colander over large bowl, reserving liquid.
2. Place salt pork, onion and beans in a 2-qt. bean pot or casserole. Combine molasses, sugar, dry mustard, pepper and 1-cup of the reserved liquid. Pour over beans, stir thoroughly. Add just enough reserved liquid to cover beans (about 1 cup). Cover casserole.
3. Bake in a slow oven (300°F) for 2 hours. Add remaining 1 cup liquid and stir thoroughly. Continue baking an additional 1-½ to 2 hours, or until beans are tender and liquid is absorbed. Bake uncovered the last half hour, if you wish.

This recipe is from Boston's famous Durgin Park Restaurant, at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, Massachusetts.

A modern-day version of a Medieval dish -- the Biblical dish of pottage for which Esau sold his birthright.

• 2 large onions
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup lentils
• 4-1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Cut onions in lengthwise slices and fry in oil over medium heat, stirring until richly browned, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse lentils, add to water in 3 to 4 quart pot; bring to boiling, cover and simmer. When lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, add rice and seasonings. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the cooked onions, and add remaining onions to lentil mixture. Cook until rice is tender, about 25 more minutes. Serve hot or cold with reserved onions on top and accompanied by yogurt.

Beans are another popular Mexican dish and recipes for cooking beans vary little from one to another, except for the addition of different ingredients to the beans as they cook. Some cooks add bay leaf and other spices; and along with onions and garlic, some add tomatoes and dried chili. Refried beans are merely beans that have been cooked and then fried down a lot. They are mashed as they are fried with the addition of lard or oil until they are fairly dry. The beans are not simply fried and then REFRIED again, but "frijoles refritos" are beans that have been "really, really" fried (REfritos)!

• 2 cups (about 1 lb.) dried pinto beans
• 6 cups hot water
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped rough
• 2 cloves garlic, left whole
• Salt
• Bacon Fat or Pork Lard or Fat

Wash the beans in a colander under cold running water and discard any dark or blemised beans.

In Beanpot*, drop in the washed beans and add hot water; bring water to boil over high heat.

Add Fat, onions and garlic and bring to boil again; then reduce heat and simmer, tightly covered for 3-4 hours. Stir in salt and simmer 30 minutes or longer, until a bean can be easily mashed against the side of te pot with the back of a spoon.

During the cooking process, stir the beans from time to time; being sure you scoop from the bottom of the pot. If the water seems to be cooking away, add water from a kettle of boiling water, about ¼ cup at a time. Mash the beans only slightly when soft enough and most of the liquid is absorbed.

*Beanpot: We use a Mexican clay bean pot that has been in our family for a very long time for cooking the beans on top of the stove.

I usually soak the beans in cold water overnight; or at least for 2 hours and then drain the beans and rinse with cold water; and add fresh water to the pot for cooking. Sometimes, I also add a bay leaf or 2 and a chili pod; and sometimes some chopped tomatoes along with the onion and the garlic; just to add a little bit of spicy flavor!

For making Chile Beans: Brown ground beef and chopped onions; add spices of choice (like chile powder, oregano, taco seasoning, garlic powder). Let cook for a few minutes; then add cooked beans with juice, 1 can chopped tomatoes and let cook until flavors blended; about 40 minutes. Taste for seasoning; and add more chile powder if you want it fiery.

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