Savory bean stew
1 cup dry beans or whole peas
1 quart water
¼ cup diced salt pork
⅓ cup chopped onion
½ pound chopped beef
2 to 2½ cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ to 3 cups chopped raw tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Boil beans or peas in the water 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak 1 hour or overnight.
Fry salt pork until crisp, remove from pan, and brown onion in the fat. Add meat and stir and cook slowly a few minutes.
Combine all ingredients, season, and simmer until meat is tender and flavors are blended.
Menu Suggestion
Serve with squash, a shredded raw vegetable salad, and lemon sponge pudding.
For Variety
Chili Con Carne.—Add 2 to 4 teaspoons chili powder and a little garlic to recipe. Red kidney, and the pink beans of the West, are favorites for this dish.
Hopping John.—Add ½ cup dry blackeye peas to 2¼ cups ham broth. Boil 2 minutes, soak 1 hour or overnight. Cook covered until almost tender. Add ½ cup raw rice, ½ cup chopped cooked ham. Cook gently 20 to 30 minutes. The broth should be almost gone when the rice is tender.