Taste_of_the_South_-_October_2019

AttheTable

Mountain Mea l

Serve up a bowl of this Appalachian staple for a belly-warming fall supper

RECIPE DEVELOPMENT BY TRICIA MANZANERO | FOOD STYLING BY KATHLEEN KANEN | PHOTO STYLING BY SIDNEY BRAGIEL

Soup Beans

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

The name of this dish refers to any type of

bean served up in a thick broth as a full meal.

We chose pinto beans, but navy, lima, or red

beans would be well suited.

1 pound dried pinto beans,

sorted and rinsed

1⁄3 pound thick-cut bacon, chopped

¼ cup finely chopped sweet onion

¼ cup finely chopped carrot

¼ cup finely chopped celery

4 cloves garlic, minced

9 to 10 cups water, divided

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons hot sauce,

plus more to serve

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Herb-Pecan Cornbread (recipe follows)

1. In a large bowl, combine beans and
   water to cover by 2 to 3 inches. Let stand
   overnight. Drain.


2. In a medium Dutch oven, cook
   bacon over medium heat until crisp.

(Reduce heat if necessary to prevent

overbrowning.) Remove bacon using

a slotted spoon, and let drain on paper

towels, reserving drippings in pan.

3. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pan;
   cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
   Add garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant
   and vegetables are softened, about
   1 minute. Add beans, 8 cups water, and
   bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and
   simmer, partially covered, until beans are
   tender, 2½ to 3 hours, adding remaining
   1 to 2 cups water when needed to keep
   beans submerged.


4. Stir in bacon, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
   Discard bay leaf. Serve with Herb-Pecan
   Cornbread and additional hot sauce.

Herb-Pecan Cornbread

MAKES 1 (10-INCH) SKILLET

The classic companion to soup beans,

this skillet cornbread gets a sprinkling of

fall fl avor from pecans and fresh herbs.

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups plain yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

2½ cups whole buttermilk, room

temperature

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, room temperature

1⁄3 cup roughly chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Pour oil into a
   10-inch cast-iron skillet. Place skillet in
   oven until oil is very hot, about 8 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk
   together cornmeal, flour, baking powder,
   salt, sage, and rosemary. In a medium
   bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted
   butter, and eggs. Add buttermilk mixture
   to cornmeal mixture, stirring just until
   combined. Fold in pecans. Carefully
   pour batter into hot skillet, smoothing
   top with an offset spatula.


3. Bake until golden brown and a wooden
   pick inserted in center comes out clean,
   20 to 25 minutes, loosely covering with foil
   to prevent excess browning, if necessary.
   Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

TIME-SAVINGTIP

Drybeanscanbemadeontheweekendandreheatedfordinner

duringtheweek,butusingcannedbeansisa greattime-saving

shortcut.Substitute4 (15-ounce)canspintobeans,drained,for

thedrybeans.Addthemasdirectedinstep3 andreducewater

to4 cups.Cookuntilbeansreachdesiredconsistency.