Photos on Fine Fettle Kettle are originals taken by Miriam Latour and under copyright protection.
Recipes are the creation of Miriam Latour, unless otherwise indicated.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Chipotle Pepper Beans



I'm not really a fan of the type of beans served at a barbecue that for some reason have syrupy sugary stuff poured all over them... or maybe a bit of pork fat mixed in along with some sickly sweet barbecue sauce from a bottle. I like sweets. I like them a lot. I even know of some desserts that combine sugar and beans. But serving beans drenched in sugar as a side dish to artificially flavored weeners should be left for special occasions... like maybe a White Trash costume party.

These beans get their flavor from fresh herbs, garlic, onions and various peppers. You can control the heat. If you like spicy, lay it on. If not, go easy on the spice.

Bring to a boil, then simmer until beans are about half done:
3 cups dried beans (your choice)
2 1/2 quarts water
4-6 fresh sage leaves
3 bay leaves


Saute until done:
3 T olive oil
2 diced onions
6 cloves crushed garlic
2 -3 diced peppers (jalapeño, bell, Anaheim... depends on how spicy you like it)
Chipotle pepper paste (or powder) to taste
1 Tblsp Cumin seeds, crushed



Combine onion mixture with beans and cook for another hour or until beans are done. Right before serving add:
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

Ever wondered what "chipotle" is exactly? Well... it is a smoked jalapeño pepper. The idea came from Mexico sometime before the Aztecs.

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