Or maybe I should have named it Pot O’ Gold, because that’s what this is, folks. The stuff you find at the end of the rainbow. So simple and straightforward but so incredibly delicious. Now, I’m sure most food blogs out there will be posting diet/resolution-friendly recipes… but I’m not. I only have one new years resolution this year and that’s to not have new years resolutions. Face it, they usually last no more than 2 weeks anyway.

The second round of extremely cold weather is about to kick in on my side of the pond, and what better way to warm up than with a hot bowl of beans? Trite but true, there really is nothing better on a cold day than a big flavorful pot of beans to warm you up. This is old-school cooking, I know, I just can’t help myself.. beans are my go to cold comfort food.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried brown beans (or pinto beans)
2 garlic cloves
7 oz bacon
1 large onion
1/2 bell pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp molasses
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp sweet paprika powder
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tbsp yellow mustard
worcestershire sauce



Directions:

Cut the bacon in small pieces. I’ve opted for thinly sliced bacon because I want the bacon to melt in with the beans and gravy. You could also make these beans using ham!




Finely mince a large onion.

Peel and finely chop about 1/2 a bell pepper. You can use more if you like, don’t let me stop you, I just don’t want the pepper flavor to become overpowering.

Grate two garlic cloves. Oh man, this is going to be such a flavor bomb.

I never soak my beans. Nor do I soak my split peas when making pea soup. I’m using brown beans, but pinto beans work fine as well. Rinse them and pick out the freaky looking ones. They’re outcasts, show them no mercy.

More stuff you’ll want to keep nearby. Heinz ketchup (the one and only), Grandma’s molasses, worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard (not to be confused with Dijon mustard).

This is where a lot of people go wrong; they don’t brown their bacon. You simply have to brown the bacon in order for the bacon flavor to really seep into the beans. You’ll miss out on a lot of flavor if you don’t. Just cook it for a few minutes, it shouldn’t be crispy.

Add the minced onion and cook for 3 minutes before adding the bell pepper and garlic. Give everything 3 more minutes.

Time to add your dry ingredients. Spoon in 1/2 a tsp curry powder, 1 tsp sweet paprika powder, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 a tsp black pepper. Remember you can always add more later but you can’t take it out. Add your beans and give everything a good stir. You can also add a pinch of cayenne for a bit of a kick, if you like.

And now the liquids. Crumble in 1 beef bouillon cube, this is gonna add a wicked flavor and pour in 1 tbsp (or 2 if you like it sweet) molasses, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1 slightly heaping tbsp yellow mustard and a good splash of worcestershire sauce (a tsp or 2) and combine everything.

Pour in the water. You want the beans to be covered by 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, pop the lid on and simmer over low heat for 3 hours.

This is what my beans looked like 1 hour into the cooking process.

And here’s what they looked like after 2 hours.

And this is what 3 hours of slowly simmering in incredibly yummy liquid did to them. Divine. Check the seasoning, top them with a little sour cream, crack some black pepper on top and dig in. 



They’re absolutely delicious. Really flavorful with a slight hint of sweetness! The Dutch way of eating these yummy beans is to serve them with either boiled or mashed potatoes & gravy, but really, eat them with whatever you like. They’re great with rice, corn bread, Moroccan flatbread, crispy French bread and even French fries. Knock yourself out!

Kay’s Recipe Card

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