Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 pound salt pork, diced small
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (1-pound) package Camellia Brand Navy Beans
- 3 1/2 quarts water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion, for garnish
Directions:
- Warm a heavy-bottomed 12-quart pot over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add oil and heat for 30 seconds.
- Add salt pork and cook, turning as needed to brown all sides, about 12 minutes.
- Add onion, celery and bay leaf; stir to combine.
- Add beans and water; cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until most of the water has boiled off or been absorbed and the beans are tender, 50-60 minutes. (As the beans cool, they will absorb more liquid, so having some liquid left over is fine; you don’t want dry beans.)
- Mash some of the beans against the inside of the pot and stir them into the liquid.
- Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne.
- Serve beans over rice, garnished with parsley and green onion.
This recipe and photo are excerpted from Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa Martin (Artisan Books).