Country Cooking - American Style

 

Song:  Poor Side Of Town

Artist:  Johnny Rivers

A famous country dish in America...

probably dating back many hundreds of years...

but had become widely popular during the 

American Great Depression of the late 1920s through the late 1930s...

Ham Hocks and Beans.

We used to eat it often when I was growing up...

not because it was inexpensive to make...

but because it is a delicious meal.

My father was born a couple of years before the great depression...

and lived through it as a child.

He was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma on his grandmother's farm.

He ate a lot of this meal...

and as it brought back a lot of good memories...

he taught my mother how to cook it.

Now...

you will probably need to ask the butcher at the supermarkets for them...

as they are not normally on display.

The Ham Hocks are fully cooked and smoked...

this is important as much of the flavor comes from them being smoked.

If they are not available...

then almost any fully cooked and smoked cuts of pork will do.

My younger sister made this today...

and in addition to two pounds of Ham Hocks...

she put in another pound of fully cooked and smoked pork shanks.

In addition to the meat...

pinto beans are used.

The ratio of meat to beans by weight is 3:2.

The amount of water used is just enough to keep the ingredients submerged while cooking.

First...

you must soak the beans at least 12 hours...

while changing the water every couple of hours.

After soaking...

 it is then time to begin the slow cooking of the beans and Ham Hocks together.

About six hours on a medium low simmer will do...

after you first bring it to a boil.

Do not add any seasoning to this dish while cooking.

The smoked pork is plenty salty already.

Just some cracked black pepper and freshly cut onions as a topping once it is plated...

is all that is needed.

As it cooks...

every 20 - 30 minutes...

just stir the ingredients...

and only add enough water to keep the ingredients barely submerged.

The dish at about the cooking time halfway point.

The meal is now ready to serve after six hours.

The important thing is that the meat and the beans are very tender.

To make the soupy mixture thicker...

smash some of the beans while stirring.

This is especially good on sourdough bread...

although traditionally...

cornmeal cakes are used.

Top with freshly cut onions and pepper...

and you have a very delicious and filling meal.

I strain out most of the soup when I eat it on bread...

however...

I eat it as a meat and bean stew with a spoon...

and then sop up all the stew with some bread on later day's servings.

You will have no finer stew than this...

very hearty...

and so very delicious.

My younger sister likes a lot of the soup on her bread.

The Ham Hocks add a lot of nutrition besides flavor...

as the marrow in the bones...

as well as the collagen surrounding the bones...

are rendered into the soup.

For dessert...

my younger sister made orange danishes.

A good accompanying vegetable dish is simply cut cabbage.

My sister stored this cabbage 

(completely submerged in water and refrigerated)...

for me to eat on the morrow.

Beans, Cabbage, as well as Ham Hocks, were widely used in the country

during times of need as they were not only inexpensive...

but highly nutritious and delicious.

I love raw cabbage with this sauce drizzled upon it.

I don't know if it is because my gut has a plentiful amount of the enzymes necessary

to fully digest beans and cabbage without any excess gas production...

but, for me, it is just another meal.

Perhaps it is the soaking of the beans and cabbage overnight which 

keeps any intestinal upset at bay.

This dish is true country Americana...

a delicious and healthful country meal.

This is American soul food at its finest...

inexpensive...

easy to make...

meaty and hearty...

superbly flavorful...

and highly nutritious.

Addendum:  This dish may be frozen and reheated in the microwave 

for a quick and easy meal over bread.

Just pour single serving sized portions into sealable plastic bags

or into freezable plastic containers and put them in the freezer.

So, especially for bachelors on the go...

one session of cooking will last you many delicious meals

with but a few minutes of your time afterwards.

--------------

It is the next day and I had rewarmed some of the Ham Hocks and Beans.

The soup thickens after refrigeration / freezing and rewarming.

I had a great tasting meat and bean stew.

I still added onions and black pepper...

and I ate bread on the side...

and a big serving of cabbage with Tonkatsu sauce.

It is even better on the second day.