Boil a Pot of Pinto Beans--with Pork Tenderloin

Boil a Pot of Pinto Beans--with Pork Tenderloin

·        2 ½  cups    dried Pinto Beans

·        3 quarts      cool water

·        1 pound      Pork Tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces

·        1 large        onion, diced

·        3 cloves      garlic, peel and leave whole

·        2 tsps.        Salt

·        ½ tsps.       Black pepper

(COLGIN, hickory flavored Liquid Smoke) brings out the flavors of old-time, farm-smoked pork.  Add 1 teaspoon or more according to your taste.  CASSEROLE is a good brand name for dried pinto beans.  With Casserole, you will not find much debris or many dirt clods while “looking” your beans.  Always rinse beans well with cold running water before cooking in any recipe.  Alternatively, use your own favorite brands of liquid smoke and dried beans.

(Look beans by spreading them out on a table or counter-top, carefully look over the beans and take out any debris or dirt clods found, rinse well.)

In a five-quart pot, measure 3 quarts of cool water.  Bring the water to a boil while you prepare all the ingredients listed above; look and rinse the beans, trim and cut pork into bite-size pieces, peel and chop onion into small pieces, peel garlic cloves and leave whole.

Place ingredients, beans, pork, onion and garlic carefully into the briskly boiling water.  Add salt, pepper and liquid smoke to the pot.  Bring back to a rolling boil, and then turn down the heat, cover the pot and boil gently for about 2 & 1/2 hours.  Check the pot every 30 minutes or so, add boiling water to replace liquid as it cooks and boils away.

Shebolith Says…

Serve with hot, buttered Buttermilk Cornbread, sweet, pickled Gherkins and ice-cold milk.

Some BEAN INFO:

A 1-lb. pkg. of dry beans = 2 cups dry or 5-6 cups of cooked beans.

One cup of pinto beans provides one quarter of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of protein for adults.  Supplementing the protein of pinto beans with a little meat, dairy products, rice or corn will provide all the essential amino acids.  Because beans contain soluble fiber, they can lower blood cholesterol.

45-years-ago, the cook would season the beans with smoked pork hock, Canadian bacon or salt pork.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

1.     Use pinto beans in chili recipes in place of kidney beans.

2.     Blend pinto beans with sage, oregano, garlic and black pepper for a nutritious and delicious spread used as a dip or sandwich filling.

3.     Layer cooked pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions and shredded cheese on a tortilla.  Broil in the oven until hot and cheese melts.  Top with chopped avocado and cilantro.

4.     Add pinto beans to vegetable soups.

5.     Heat pinto beans together with cooked rice.  Add cooked chopped vegetables such as carrots, zucchini and tomatoes.  Season to taste and enjoy this simple-to-prepare one pot meal.

FYI…consuming rice with any meal reduces fiber-related intestinal bloating and flatulence.

One more FYI…for when you burn the pot of beans.  Throw them out and start all over.  Clean the pot by rinsing well, then place a layer of Arm and Hammer baking soda over the burned-on bits of food.  Allow pot to sit for several hours before scrubbing.  The baking soda will also help to reduce the acrid odor of burnt beans.