It was the end of the week. I was out of money, out of food, and out of energy. (I know, this is why we meal plan, right?) We had planned to go to a friend’s house for dinner, but when plans fell through, I was left standing in front of the pantry, taking inventory: 1 bottle of maraschino cherries; 1 opened box of Fryin’ Magic (a product I highly recommend, by the way); rice; and beans.
It was obviously going to be rice and beans, right? Maybe with a cherry on top? Except that I hadn’t soaked the beans. And the kids were already asking “What’s for suppa?” So, I googled, “Can I cook black beans without soaking?” And it turns out that a few people have tried this successfully! Or at least they’ve blogged about it?
So I tried it. I rinsed the beans. Then I filled a casserole dish with them, and added water until there was about an inch of water on top of the beans. (Don’t forget, the beans will expand, so leave some wiggle room.) I added some spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, garlic, and ample salt. And I cooked them on 350 for a little over 2 hours. (I checked at two hours and decided they could use a few more minutes.) I also added some more water after about an hour.
And then, they were delicious. My daughter said they even tasted like Chipotle. Now that’s high praise in this household. They had more color than they do when I cook them after soaking (which makes sense, seeing how the soaking water turns brown). They had tons of flavor and my kids went for seconds. We all ate till we were full, and then my son had the gall to ask for dessert. Of course, you can guess what he got: maraschino cherries in a wine glass. How chic.
So I know what you’re thinking. My grandmother told me we soak our beans so as not to offend the neighbors. Granted, I only have anecdotal evidence to share with you, but our family did not notice any unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects from these beans. At least, no more than usual.
- Posted by Robin
