This slow cooker meal was packed with
flavor. It was inspired by a recipe that Sandi Dutt shared with me when I
interviewed her for my monthly cooking column in Abilene’s Reflector Chronicle
(11/29/11).
Must admit that it is the first time I’ve
cooked beans in the slow cooker – this recipe omits pre-soaking; the beans go
directly in the pot. They were both tender and flavorful in just seven (7)
hours on the High setting.
I made just a half batch of the recipe
since I was just cooking for three . . . and we gobbled it up. Even my mom, who
is recovering from surgery and hasn’t had a good appetite, cleaned her plate.
Made me wonder why I hadn’t make the full recipe.
Pork & Bean Chalupas
3 lbs. pork loin
1 lb. dried pinto beans, washed -- these do not require
advance pre-soaking (Since I was at my mom’s during a snow storm, I used great northern beans since that was what she had on hand)
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 large onion, cut into wedges (I used red but white or
yellow would work, too)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 (4.5 oz.) cans whole green chilies
1 bay leaf
1 to 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ to 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
--------
Flour tortillas – either white or whole wheat
Suggested toppings for serving: grated cheese, chopped
onions, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.
1.
Put above ingredients, except tortillas and
toppings, in a slow cooker; cover with water. Add lid.
2.
Cook on Low temperature (about 200°) for 10
hours or cook on High for several hours and then turn to Low. My beans and meat
were perfectly tender and flavorful after 7 hours of cooking on a high setting.
 |
| This is what it looked like after 7 hours. |
For serving: Warm tortillas, add meat and bean mixture and
topping of your choice.
 |
| To warm the tortilla, I set them on top of the slow cooker lid.. |
Sandi’s original version of
the recipe, along with lots of other slow cooker recipes that were contributed
by both Sandi and her daughter Abby Dutt Markley, can be found in the
11th
edition of Home-Cooking—Dickinson County Style. All editions of the cookbook sell for $4.95 + tax
at the Historical Society; mail-order deliveries sell for
$8.50. Contact Dickinson County Historical Society, 412 S. Campbell
Abilene, Ks. Phone: 785-263-2681
When to add salt to a
pot of bean? The old school of thought was that no salt should be added
until dried beans were tender and completely cooked. Supposedly salt interfered
with the ability of beans to become tender. However, here are the latest
thoughts . . .
You can add salt to your beans
at any time, says Lynne Bigwood of the Northarvest Bean Growers Association.
“According to research, dry beans cook faster when salt is added because salt
helps break down the cell walls,” she says. But don’t expect a miraculously
quick-cooking pot of beans, warns Dr. Barry Swanson, professor of food science
at Washington State University: Salt only affects the rate of softening by a
matter of minutes when used at the concentrations we find palatable.
Recipe without
photos . . .
Pork & Bean
Chalupas
3 lbs. pork
1 lb. dried pinto beans, washed (these do not require
advance pre-soaking)
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 large onion, cut into wedges (I used red but white or
yellow would work, too)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 (4.5 oz.) cans whole green chilies
1 bay leaf
1 to 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ to 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
--------
Flour tortillas – either white or whole wheat
Suggested toppings for serving: grated cheese,
chopped onions, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.
1. Put above ingredients, except tortillas and
toppings, in a slow cooker; cover with water. Add lid.
2. Cook on Low temperature (about 200°) for 10
hours or cook on High for several hours and then turn to Low. My beans and meat
were perfectly tender and flavorful after 7 hours of cooking on a high setting.
For serving: Warm tortillas, add meat and bean mixture and
topping of your choice.
