Beans

We call these "beans" because they are mostly just beans. Having all different types makes for a wonderful texture of soft, firm and totally dissolved bean bits when they are done.

Ahead of time, mix a bunch of dried beans together, thoroughly stir together and store in jars, sealed. I buy the plastic bags of dried beans that seem to be either 12 oz or 1 lb. Use one part of each of these types, available at ordinary grocery stores or any of the various ethnic groceries around town. (You can use 2 parts pinto beans if you want.) Note that following these directions exactly with 16 oz packages will give you 10 pounds of dried beans which is enough for 2 years at our house. Seal well and they keep for many years or keep in the freezer if you are paranoid.

• Small Navy beans (white)
• Great Northern beans
• Garbanzo beans
• Black beans (small)
• Pinto beans
• Kidney beans (brown)
• Black-eyed peas
• Green split peas
• Brown Lentils

I have also, on occasion included "pink beans", "anasazi beans" and "lima beans" but don't much care for the Lima's in this mixture.

If you want to cook them you have to start out the night before. Measure out 2-3 cups of dried bean mixture. (2 cups serves 3 people a full meal.) This comes out just right for my small oval Rival Crock Pot. 4-5 cups works better for the large oval Crock Pot. Note that a Crock Pot seems to be a brand name for a slow cooker. Mine is old and has off, low and high settings and no timer.

You can accomplish the same thing without a slow cooker with a large pan and an oven. Set the oven on 260 degrees F when it's time to cook. This also heats up the house (good in winter--bad in summer.) and it uses more electricity.

Put the beans in the crock pot. Be sure to check for small rocks or dirt clods before adding the water in the next step. Depending on the brands of beans you may have none. You still need to check.

Soak the beans all night. Add enough water to cover the beans and still cover them when they double in size. So, for example, if you notice there is 3/4 inch of beans in the bottom of the pot, add 3 times 3/4 inch (9/4 inch) which is a bit over 2 inches of water. This isn't rocket science so just be sure the beans don't swell up and poke out of the water by morning.

In the morning, pour off the water. Rinse the beans repeatedly until the water runs clear. At first the water will be cloudy or brownish.

Then you will need to add some meat for flavor. Toss this in the crock pot. I don't know if it matters but I always push the meat down under the beans.

3 spare ribs, browned in a skillet with a Tbsp of oil

Alternatives that don't need browning are 2 ham hocks, a pound and a half of smoked pork neck bones or a piece of ham the size of your fist (chop the ham in 1 inch squares). A pound of bacon works too but isn't near as good while costing more. These alternatives all have a lot of salt in them (which is why I prefer the spare ribs). Meat with bones tastes better in this disk than meat without bones.

Cover with water, chicken stock or a combination. The water needs to cover the beans and meat completely. Account for loss while cooking unless you are going to be around the whole time to add more water if it cooks down. (In the vegetarian version of this, leave out the meat but add vegetable broth and no water.) Not much smells worse than coming home after a day a work to burned beans.

Turn on the crock pot. Set on high. Leave alone for 10 hours. I'm at about 1000 ft above sea level. You will need to cook longer at high altitudes.(Say, above 4000 feet.) It might cook faster at sea level but I've never tried it.

Notice that I don't put any salt or spices or acidic things like tomatoes, citrus or vinegar in the beans. I have found that leaving these out while cooking give the beans a better texture. You can add such things to your beans before cooking but you may need to cook them longer or at a higher temperature. (In another recipe, someday, I may explain how to add sauteed onions and green chile halfway through and white pepper, chopped fresh cilantro and whole stewed tomatoes the last hour. Or maybe not.)

When it is done, the pinto beans will be soft, as will the kidney, navy and black beans. The garbanzos will be firm (al dente, so to speak). The lentils and split beans will have totally disappeared but they make the soupy part taste good and thicken it. I like to sort of antagonize the meat at this point as it will fall to bits and mix tantalizingly with the beans.

Spoon some out into a bowl. Some people like more liquid. Some like less. This is especially good with corn bread, rice or homemade bread. Each person can sprinkle to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.