Ham and Beans
My Mom created this recipe and I really enjoyed it as a child. As an adult, my taste changed just a bit so I modified her recipe to kick it up a bit. It is fabulous even though the ingredients list is quite short! This is a must make with leftover ham and everyone agrees it's absolutely delicious.
My Mom created this recipe and I really enjoyed it as a child. As an adult, my taste changed just a bit so I modified her recipe to kick it up a bit. It is fabulous even though the ingredients list is quite short! This is a must make with leftover ham and everyone agrees it's absolutely delicious.
- Carbohydrate 75.2136255850057 g
- Cholesterol 7.1278801 mg
- Fat 1.54288394323355 g
- Fiber 13.4391517502462 g
- Protein 20.2405990076455 g
- Saturated Fat 0.617727902307643 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (145g)
- Sodium 321.609167115559 mg
- Sugar 61.7744738347595 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 386 calories
Step-by-step
- Rinse beans in a large pot; discard shriveled beans and any small stones. Add 8 cups of cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
- Return beans to pot and add ham, onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley and water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during cooking time.
Thick, velvety bean broth coats the back of a spoon with a glossy sheen, carrying the distinct warmth of cayenne and the deep savor of cured pork. Simmering dried great northern beans requires patience and hydration management. Unlike canned legumes, dry beans undergo a rehydration phase lasting at least eight hours, followed by a sustained simmer of up to two hours. This prolonged cooking gelatinizes starches inside the legume. The result is a creamy interior encased in an intact skin.
Fresh Versus Preserved Components
Raw yellow onions release sharp sulfur compounds when diced, but long cooking mellows these volatiles into a sweet backdrop. Cured ham introduces concentrated sodium and smoke notes that infuse the soaking water during the simmer. Swapping cured ham for fresh pork shoulder alters the sodium profile significantly. You must adjust added salt accordingly. Dried parsley contributes faint herbaceous notes, though fresh flat-leaf parsley can replace it at a three-to-one ratio if added near the end of cooking.
- Beans remain hard after two hours? Acidic ingredients like tomatoes or excessive molasses added too early can toughen bean skins, so delay additions until tender.
- Broth is too thin? Mash a cup of cooked beans against the pot wall and stir them back into the liquid to release starches.
- Salty flavor dominates? Submerge a raw peeled potato in the simmering liquid for thirty minutes to absorb excess sodium.
