Tepary Beans de la Olla with Sweetfern
Slow cooked tepary beans scented with sweetfern, cooked in a clay pot.
Serves 4-6
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried tepary beans or your favorite bean (I used Ramonas black tepary beans)
- 1 medium onion diced ¼ inch
- 1 large clove garlic finely chopped
- 4 cups water
- 2 oz chunk of smoked meat cut into small cubes or left whole (optional, you can also use a smoked ham bone, etc)
- A small handful (5-6 3-4 inch leaves) of dried or fresh sweetfern leaves wrapped in cheesecloth for easy removal
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a pot, put in the oven at 250F and cook for 4-5 hours, or until the beans are tender and taste good to you. After an hour, remove the sweetfern and discard. Other, more common beans will cook quicker than tepary beans, which are notorious for taking a long time to cook.
- Alternately, you can simmer the beans on the stovetop. Whatever method you choose, make sure to check on them from time to time to make sure the beans are covered with a layer of water so they don't dry out, which can cause them to split.
- When the beans are tender, season the mixture to taste with salt, and serve as a simple side dish or a rustic soup with a dollop of sour cream, cheese, chopped scallions, cilantro, etc.