Melting Pot Beans Recipes

Steps:

• Wash the beans thoroughly in cold water, discarding any stones or rotten beans.
• Place the beans in a wide, short saucepot (rondeau), and cover with water by 2 inches. Cook for 30 minutes, and then, add the tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and beer. Cook until the beans are tender, about another 30 minutes.
• With a potato masher, crush the beans, to thicken the bean liquid. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Brown beef, onions, and green pepper. Drain excess fat.
• Add chili powder, beans, macaroni, cheese, milk and salt.
• Pour into casserole.
• Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes or until hot.

Steps:

• Make the beans: Place beans in a large bowl; cover with water by several inches. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Drain. (For a quick soak, cover beans in a saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 1 hour. Drain.)
• Make the flavor base: Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, chile, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and any add-ins until onion and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add beans, 8 cups water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, adding water as needed to keep submerged, until tender, 35 minutes to 2 hours, depending on type of bean. (Start checking for doneness after 30 minutes.)

Steps:

• Rinse the beans, then soak them in salted water (it should taste like the sea) for anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours. If you don't have time, you can skip this step.
• Drain beans and put them in a pot or electric pressure cooker. If cooking in a regular pot, add enough water to cover the beans by 2 to 3 inches. If using a pressure cooker, use less water, more like 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Add a drizzle of oil and whatever aromatics and herbs you like. Add enough salt to the cooking water to make it taste like the sea.
• If using a regular pot, simmer the beans for anywhere to 30 minutes to 2 to 3 hours, depending on what variety you used, how old they were and whether or not you soaked them. Check on them periodically, adding more water if the level gets too low (as in, lower than the beans). For the pressure cooker, the timing is anywhere from 5 minutes at high pressure to 50 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
• Garnish with fresh herbs or celery leaves, sliced onion, if you like, a drizzle of oil, and a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and sea salt.