Summertime, and the livin’ is easy?
Written by Scotia48 on July 12, 2008 – 5:21 pm -HOT PINTO BEANS
While I was growing up, my Uncle George would come to our house and bring us his summer bounty of fresh, home grown tomatoes, scallions, potatoes, corn, grapes, strawberries, onions, and okra. Pinto beans, cornbread, sliced tomatoes, scallions, and sliced strawberries over vanilla ice cream with a tall glass of ice tea just scream summer to me.
3 C dried pinto beans washed and soaked 4-8 hours
Place washed again and drained beans in a crock pot or cast iron pot and add water to 2″ above the beans, With each pot, watch the water and add as needed.
Add 1 tsp fresh ground pepper, 1 bay leaf, crushed red pepper to taste (watch it, it can be really hot!), about 1/2 tsp of Tabasco, 2 squirts worcestershire sauce, 3/4 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
if you have it and want to, add about 3″ of salt pork
Crock pot: Cover and turn on high for an hour then turn down to low and let cook until done
Cast iron pot: Gently boil and turn down to a good simmer then cover and simmer for about 2-2 1/2 hours
Either case, towards the end of cooking, add about 1/2 tsp ginger powder (this cuts down on the “gassy” effects!) and salt to taste
SAVORY CORN BREAD
This is another recipe that is ever evolving. You can make different combinations of flours or milk products. I’ve added various herbs, spices and peppers to it for a change. If you want to add corn, either use whole, fresh kernels or if you want to use creamed corn, decrease the milk.
3/4 C unbleached white or whole wheat flour or a combination of both
1 C yellow corn meal or 1/2 C white and 1/2 C yellow
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder (I use Rumford brand)
1 1/2-2 Tbs white sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 C buttermilk (or milk or creme or yogurt)
(if using buttermilk, add 1/4 tsp baking soda [don’t ask, my sweetie’s grandmother did this and it was delicious!])
1/4 C neutral oil, like Crisco or canola or sunflower
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Prepare a pyrex or Corningware pie pan with a little solid Crisco or lard. Place in oven while it is heating until it melts. Remove from oven.
Sift together dry ingredients. In a two-cup measuring cup add milk, oil and egg and gently whisk until mixed. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and just mix gently. Pour into pie pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until the top springs back when pressed with your finger and the top is golden brown. Let sit for about 5 minutes and slice into wedges.
Makes 6-8 wedges
Sliced tomatoes can be jazzed up with a drizzle of fresh squeezed lemon juice, some thinly sliced basil, maybe some lemon zest, drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Scallions-I always cut some of the green tops and the root off, peeled a little and stuck them in a glass of lemon water in the fridge until dinner was served.
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6 Comments
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Oh yes!
I was supposed to go to a hog fry tonight. But I mowed straight for 2 hours in 95+ heat, so instead came right home and took preemptive aspirin. Which really does work!
In any case, the hog’s okay at those hog fries, and the fry bread … eh.
But the brown beans and corn bread are to die for! One of my favorite summer eats, surpassed by very few things (with watermelon being one of those very few things).
Good recipes!
A bit o/t, but not totally: I used to make corn cakes in the winter - very similar to corn bread except different ingredients. If I can remember how I made them, I’ll post it.
I want me some cornbread! mmmmm! Mrs. Translator and I (and the boys) went to the Smokey Mountains one summer and got some of their stone ground white corn meal. Boy, it is good! It does not keep very long since it is whole grain, but as good at it is keeping enough around quickly replaces keeping it for long as a concern. You can order it, and I will give a link in a minute.
First, I want to give that park a plug. It is the only National Park that is free to enter. Drive the Cade’s Cove drive and enjoy the pioneer construction. The museum/bookstore at the end is where you can buy your meal. Part of the tour is the mill itself, and the miller was very good at his craft and also with interacting with us mere mortals. It is very interesting to watch the water powered mill at work.
Here is the link for the meal:
http://www.smokiesstore.org/browse.cfm/4,10.html
Even if you do not like cornbread, with this meal you are likely to like it. Warmest regards, Doc.
My mother-in-law brought me a few bags of pop corn meal from White’s Mill in Abingdon, VA. http://www.whitesmill.com I’ve used it in the cornbread for a few years and it is the best.Unfortunately, they don’t ship.
All of those old stone ground mills in the upper south have produced the best stone ground grains. We have a great mill here in the PNW just south of Portland. Yum!
I’d love to get your corn cakes recipe. I’m delving into revolutionary war “recipts” as they called them.
Broke into the strawberry freezer jam today and it is “summer strawberries as we all love them”. The basil leaf adds another flavor that is herby and good. Good thing I have six jars for the winter!
Making the peach-blueberry-rosemary freezer jam this week. My sweetie said he would sacrifice some blood to get enough blackberries to make some blackberry freezer jam, also. Tee-hee!
There was a particular dried buttermilk I used. I remember seeing it again a year or so ago, so it’s still around. And I think Shawnee Mills was a part of the bargain, but I can’t absolutely testify to that - although I think so.
I couldn’t make it far enough out back when mowing today to hit the blackberry and raspberry patches. I fear the evil groundhog will wipe me out. I did have lots of elderberries though - omg, they’re good. I’m going to have to cut some canes and transplant some here. They’re very, *very* nice berries. Black Beauties. Great taste to them.
Thanks, Blog Goddess for cropping the post!