Navy Beans & Ham Hocks
Beans & Dead Pig. Can Life Get Any Sweeter?
I haven't posted a recipe in ages, so let's correct that oversight...
I got to thinking about all my grandmother's wonderful home cooking recipes that I'll never get to eat again unless I get off my duff and make them myself. Fortunately, there's a small metal box in my possession crammed full of 3x5 index cards in her precise penciled script that holds 60+ years worth of tasty treats, including a version of this dish.
If you're from the South, or just passing through, sooner or later you'll have to deal with a ham hock. Ain't no big thing, it's not like it's hog jowls or chitlins. Just think of it as a really small smoked ham, with twice the usual amount of tendons, fat & skin.
This dish goes well with cornbread, but I'm sorta partial to saltines with my Navy beans.
Navy Beans & Ham Hocks
You'll need:
2 lbs dry navy beans (the little white ones)
1 gallon hot water
1 1/2 lbs smoked ham hocks
1 big yeller onion, chopped in 1/2" dice.
2 tablespoons salted butter
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Maybe some red pepper sauce, if you like that sort of thing.
To make it:
Get yourself a big ol' pot, pour in the gallon of water, and light a fire under it. While it's getting hot, sort through your beans and toss out any rocks, discolored beans and DamnYankee weevils.
Put the beans in a colander or strainer, and run hot tap water over them until the bean hulls start to look a bit cooked. They'll turn whitish/clearish. Dump 'em into the big ol' pot of water with the ham hocks, and simmer over a low fire for 3 hours, one football game, or 4 loads of laundry, whichever ends quicker. Scoop out any floater beans and skim off any foam.
Fish out the ham hocks after 3 hours and let them cool a bit. Cut the meat from the bone, chop it up, and dump it back in with the beans. Try not to "sample" more than half of the meat. I toss the bones back in, just for added flavor.
Heat up your butter in a skillet, and brown the diced onion. The onion pieces will be translucent and, well, brownish. Dump 'em in with the beans & hocks.
Just before you're ready to eat, kick up the fire to HIGH, and bring the beans to a boil before dishing it up.
Serve in big bowls, and enjoy!
"Kin ah have summa dat beenz & ham hawks?"
Of course you can, little one!
I haven't posted a recipe in ages, so let's correct that oversight...
I got to thinking about all my grandmother's wonderful home cooking recipes that I'll never get to eat again unless I get off my duff and make them myself. Fortunately, there's a small metal box in my possession crammed full of 3x5 index cards in her precise penciled script that holds 60+ years worth of tasty treats, including a version of this dish.
If you're from the South, or just passing through, sooner or later you'll have to deal with a ham hock. Ain't no big thing, it's not like it's hog jowls or chitlins. Just think of it as a really small smoked ham, with twice the usual amount of tendons, fat & skin.
This dish goes well with cornbread, but I'm sorta partial to saltines with my Navy beans.
Navy Beans & Ham Hocks
You'll need:
2 lbs dry navy beans (the little white ones)
1 gallon hot water
1 1/2 lbs smoked ham hocks
1 big yeller onion, chopped in 1/2" dice.
2 tablespoons salted butter
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Maybe some red pepper sauce, if you like that sort of thing.
To make it:
Get yourself a big ol' pot, pour in the gallon of water, and light a fire under it. While it's getting hot, sort through your beans and toss out any rocks, discolored beans and DamnYankee weevils.
Put the beans in a colander or strainer, and run hot tap water over them until the bean hulls start to look a bit cooked. They'll turn whitish/clearish. Dump 'em into the big ol' pot of water with the ham hocks, and simmer over a low fire for 3 hours, one football game, or 4 loads of laundry, whichever ends quicker. Scoop out any floater beans and skim off any foam.
Fish out the ham hocks after 3 hours and let them cool a bit. Cut the meat from the bone, chop it up, and dump it back in with the beans. Try not to "sample" more than half of the meat. I toss the bones back in, just for added flavor.
Heat up your butter in a skillet, and brown the diced onion. The onion pieces will be translucent and, well, brownish. Dump 'em in with the beans & hocks.
Just before you're ready to eat, kick up the fire to HIGH, and bring the beans to a boil before dishing it up.
Serve in big bowls, and enjoy!
"Kin ah have summa dat beenz & ham hawks?"
Of course you can, little one!
posted by El Capitan | 3:21 PM
<< Home