How do you cook dried green beans?
Sister K, I never cooked mine, they were just at our mountain cabin for a bit of authenticity, but here is a recipe I found…..
Appalachian Style Leather Britches
Ingredients:
Dried green beans (as dried, above)
Water
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
2 inches square salt bacon, bacon grease, ham hock, or oil for a vegetarian option.
Directions:
Wash the dried green beans in a colander. Place in a pan with enough water to cover the beans and let stand overnight.
The next day, pour off the water and rinse beans. Place them in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the salt, 3 cups of water, and seasoning meat or oil. Cook over medium heat for roughly three hours. Check for doneness after a couple of hours, adding more water if needed.
After fully cooked, add some salt, pepper, or even a tad of sugar to taste. Leather britches tend to swell up as they cook, so be careful how much you cook up. A little goes a long way! The cooking liquid improves the longer it’s allowed to simmer.
This traditional Appalachian dish is wonderful served alongside some hot cornbread and sliced raw onion.
I soak them about 10 minutes, then slowly boil with lid on the pot. I use barely enough water to cover them. When the water is almost cooked away (actually absorbed into the beans), then they are done (approx. 15 minutes). They will be chewy. After removed from the heat, I do not drain, then lightly salt and drizzle with oil.
By the time I was old enough to cook, there was nobody to teach me how to prepare them, so this is my method. I have no idea what the true Appalachian method was...and they probably used lard instead of oil, cooking the lard into the beans.