Mary and Tom's Kitchen

9/27/2019 – This recipe was inspired by the one here although, what Mary did is very different. It was a very good new twist for using pinto beans in what is almost a gumbo with the tomato and okra.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pinto beans
• Bacon grease
• 1 cup diced fresh bell peppers and a fresh red Hungarian Hot Wax pepper from our garden
• 1 cup onion, chopped coarsely
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 8″ long piece of Rouse’s jalapeno sausage we smoked with pecan (1/2 link)
• 8″ Concecuh’s Spicy Cajun Sausage (1/2 link)
• 1 piece of our Tasso (not cured), rubbed heavy with 6POGS and smoked with pecan
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 heaping teaspoon thyme
• 2 cups sliced okra fresh from our garden
• 2 cups frozen “fresh” corn from the garden
• 1 12 oz. can diced, roasted tomato
• 1 tbsp Kit Whol’s Creole seasoning
• 2 tsp Worcheshire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Chrystal Hot Sauce
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup rice, cooked according to package instructions

Instructions

1. Prep the beans to remove the sugars :
   1. Place the dry beans in a large saucepan of boiling water and let sit for an hour to give up the sugars. Then discard the dark water.
   2. Cover the beans with ham bone broth. Add 3 cloves of garlic and bring to a boil.
   3. Reduce heat, leaving covered, and simmer the beans for 1 – 1.5 hours until the beans are near tender.
2. Prep the veggies and seasonings
   1. While the beans are in their initial soak, saute in a cast-iron skillet with bacon grease the onion and peppers until the edges are softening – about 3 minutes.
   2. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and continue to saute for another couple of minutes.
   3. Add the creole seasoning, Worcestershire, Chrystal hot sauce and a little ham broth. Put the lid on the pan and turn off the heat to let the flavors meld for an hour or two.
3. Once the beans are near tender, add the okra, tomatoes, corn, and contents of the skillet.
4. Simmer, uncovered until the okra has cooked.