KAMPFIRE KOOKIN’ WILD THANGS

On a recent trip to West Virginia I had a pinto bean cravin’ flung upon me. That’s West Virginia talk for what happened when someone mentioned they were having pinto beans for supper and I remembered how my mom used to ‘fix’ ’em (that’s ‘prepare’ in Southernese). This recipe is for preparing one pound of dry pinto beans and it will serve about four average persons or one Glad-To-Be-Back-Home-In-West (by gosh) Virginia-Pinto-Bean-Hungry Boy, and I’m not kidding. The next day I spent a little time alone; outside.

 Wild And Wonderful West Virginia Pinto Beans

1 pound (two cups) dry pinto beans
8 cups warm water (to soak beans)
1/4 to 1/2 pound of ham cut in 1/2 inch cubes or a nice ham bone
1 medium onion chopped
8 cups cooking water
salt & pepper
large pot

Pick over beans and remove any foreign matter (sticks, rocks, mud balls, and broken beans. Rinse beans in water. Place beans in a large pot and add the warm water. Cover pot and soak beans overnight (6 to 8 hours). Pour off soak water and rinse beans again.

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Put beans in a large pot (or crock pot) and add 8 cups of water. Add onion, ham pieces or bone and cook over/on medium heat until beans are tender. (Remove bone, strip off meat, cut into small pieces, and add meat back to bean pot – discard bone.) Let each person season their individual bowls of bean/soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped raw onion and corn bread slathered in butter. Open the windows.

(Note: When serving up pinto beans to those opposed to eating ham or any meat for that matter, then flavor the beans/soup with liquid smoke to taste or put a container of Bac-Os (bacon flavored bits made from soy beans) on the table.