I’ve been experimenting with different ways to cook beans. DH is from New Orleans – need I say more?
Since it is pretty hot here at this time of year, I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount of heat from the oven and stove that gets pumped out into the kitchen. So, here’s what I did yesterday to deal with the beans.
I had forgotten to give them an overnight soak, so I got out my trusty Nissan-Thermos vacuum bottle and pre-heated it with hot water. Then soaked the beans in fresh hot water for an hour. I guess it was because the water was so hot, the beans sucked up most of it.
Next they went into the pressure cooker for forty-five minutes, letting the temperature drop of its own accord for about another fifteen minutes. I seasoned them up and let them sit for another half hour, and then added leftover taco meat to make the chili that you see above.
Shredded White Cheddar Cheese added to mine, and the cheese plus Mexican scallions added to Gary’s portion – served over a bit of brown rice and with a side salad – and we were once again at the best Mexican restaurant in town!
Adventures of Dorrie Anne 
I was born in Brazil – from a very young age I ate beans and rice with sprinkled farofa (manioc root) Even now, it is my favourite dish. Your meal looks scrumptious!
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Is manioc root a starchy substance?
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Yes, it is! Cassava (Manioc) is the third-largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. But you must be very careful in the preparation otherwise it is poisonous.
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Poisonous? Eeek! Do you have time to elaborate? I’d heard of it by both names, but didn’t know they referred to the same item. And had no idea what it was!
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In my humble opinion, New Orleans has the best food in the US, but I didn’t notice that much emphasis on beans when I was there.
Guess I’ll have to go back and check! 🙂
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Red Beans and Rice – almost always a staple item on restaurant menus on Mondays. Old tradition – the ladies of New Orleans, and probably all of Louisiana and maybe all of The South – spent Monday mornings dealing with the week’s laundry, so the noontime meal had to take care of itself. I’ve watched my mother-in-law cook beans, and she always put in a lot of garlic (eewwww – nooooo!), onions, and green pepper at the start. They disappeared by the time the beans were done. If I am adding this sofrito, I put it in (pre-cooked) when I put in the seasonings, so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. I particularly like red peppers, and they are too expensive to let them turn to mush and disappear!
Yes, best check for authenticity – frequently! ;->
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Guess I was too busy eating Beignets and Gumbo and Jambalya and Muffuletta and Poboys and blackened fish and fried chicken and local shrimps etc, to pay attention to the humble rice and beans…. 🙂 Next time!
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The longer I’m in New Mexico the higher my tolerance for the spicy chili laced cuisine. Still doesn’t stop me from uttering at nearly every meal, “omg my mouth is on fire” hahaha
Jo Wishnie 414-704-2000 Blog at: http://www.mytripjournal.com/wanderingwishnies Traveling with my DH Fred and the 2 fur kids: Phoenix the Phantom Pheline and Boo Boo the Diva Dog
*Happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.*
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I always ask for the sauces on the side . . . to add a bit at a time depending on how hot they are.
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That looks scrumptious!
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It was! Even though it was hot outside, the chili still tasted good.
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Sounds great. We use solar ovens to cook most of our foods. Great for rice beans etc and heat stays out of rig and no worry about food burning. No need to soak beans either!
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I’ve tried beans with soaking, and without soaking, and always seem to gravitate to soaking. Seems to give a more even softness to the beans. But sometimes I forget, so I resort to using the Nissan-Thermos vacuum bottle for an hour, or just pressure cook them for a bit longer, and then let them sit, undisturbed, for a bit longer than usual. This, in effect, gives them the overall smoothness. Maybe it doesn’t matter which end of the cooking cycle is used for soaking! ;->
Thanks for stopping by!
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