charisstoma

Pinto beans in Dumplings

1/2 small Great Value bag of Pinto Beans is enough for 2 people.
Spread out beans to check for rocks, twigs, cracked or bad beans. Discard these.
Wash in colander. Place in a mid-size pot of 2/3 more water than beans.
Slow rolling boil for 10 minutes. Drain through colander, rinse beans and pot.
Repeat the boiling for 10 more minutes, drain, rinse beans and pot and for a third time.
Then cook 1 hour to an 1 1/2 hour til soft. Do NOT add salt or you will need to cook longer.

~1 T vegetable oil
Add salt
simmer

Mini dumplings
~ 1 T crisco add to ~cup self rising flour extra for added if needed
Add buttermilk mix to a stiff biscuit dough

pinch off ~ 3/4 inch dough and roll into balls before putting them into pinto beans as they cook.
Then do a 20 min covered slow simmer.
serve with veggies.

Options-
ground beef (cook separate from beans and add after beans are tender)
onions and green peppers
crumbled crispy bacon
dumplings

Crossposts: https://charisstoma.livejournal.com/1617991.html

I was hungry for baked beans, it being summer and BBQ in vogue.
I just don't buy canned things much anymore, especially beans, so I made some from scratch.

It's both possible and ok to make them from pinto beans. Trust me. Beans are beans. But I had some small whites/navy beans on hand, and quick boiled them for 5 minutes, let them sit for an hour, and then drained and commenced their REAL cooking, all in lieu of not soaking them overnight.

Baked Beans- Crockpot

I eyeballed about 1 & 1/2 cups of beans, it seemed right for about 1 small can of beans, and what I needed for another recipe.
With 2+ cups of water to cover with 1/2" head room, into the crock pot on high for 3 hours, until tender. I added salt during the last 30 minutes until it tasted right.
Continue to simmer in crock pot, on high.

Add
1/4-1/3 cup diced, smoked bacon
(I just slice off the ends where the fat is.)
1/4 cup minced onion
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
3 or 4 good grinds of pepper corn
2 Tablespoons of molasses
2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard
OPTIONAL-
4 or 5 shakes of hot sauce OR
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

and let that all cook down for as long as there is liquid to keep it from burning. After about an hour from adding the ingredients, it might be good to turn the crock pot down to low.

The aroma drove me a bit nutz this afternoon.
Increase this recipe, depending on your need. And they freeze just fine too. Beans do freeze well.
baked beans

Crossposts: https://charisstoma.livejournal.com/1580933.html

Braised Lentils
http://www.nickstellino.com/Recipes/Menu/Recipe/?men=-3&rec=834&vid=503a

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
½ white onion, chopped
½ large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 whole celery stick chopped
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves (optional)
1 cup dry lentils
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive (optional)

Directions

Directions
Printable Version

Add the olive oil to the pan and cook over medium heat.

Add the red pepper flakes.

Add the garlic and cook stirring well for one minute.

Add the onion, carrot, the optional celery leaves and celery and cook two more minutes while stirring.

Add the lentils and cook for two more minutes stirring the ingredients in the pan.

Add the stock and bring to a boil then simmer, stirring every 10 minutes, for about 30 to 35 minutes until the lentils are cooked through and most of the stock has been absorbed.

Pour the lentils into a serving dish, top with the optional extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Chef's Tip:

Please keep in mind that different types of lentils have different cooking times and different liquid absorption rates. Be your own judge as to whether to add more liquid to obtain the consistency you like best.

http://www.nickstellino.com/Video/Play.aspx?v=503a