Soak a pound of dried large lima’s. Cook until tender. That’s about 2 1/2 hours. To shorten the time use a pressure cooker. That’s takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure and about 20 minutes at pressure. It’s best to try to get them cooked and tender but not too tender. They look and taste better when they are whole. They turn into mush if they are overcooked. Overcooked beans can still be used, – they won’t look as good.
Cook up some bacon or ham or both. Use enough. At least a half pound. More tastes better at the expense of more bacon fat. But bacon fat has loads of flavor. Cut the bacon into bits.
Chop and fry up a Red Pepper. A green one is OK but red looks better.
Fry some onions. Lots, chopped coarse.
Fry up some celery. About four ribs, chopped across to make those c-shaped pieces.
Add a 15 1/2 oz. can of tomatoes. If using whole canned tomatoes cut them into bite-sized pieces. Diced is OK. So are stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
Heat the tomatoes in a large wok frying pan. Use a non-stick fry pan. Or use a pot.
Add the fried peppers, the onions and the celery.
Add two tablespoons of mustard.
Two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
Add Hot Sauce if you like it.
Stir everything to blend it.
Add some salt and pepper.
Add the beans and bacon.
Add some cooked Andouille sausage. Kielbasa also works.
These beans work with lots of meat. You could add chicken. It all goes with the Creole onion-tomato-bean combination.
Toss it into a blender to make Creole Bean Dip.
Creole Beans work for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner. Most people like them hot. They can be re-heated in the microwave but some of the beans will pop during microwaving.
Any kind of beans will work with this recipe but the large Lima’s give more bean flavor because of their size.
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