Stewed Santa Maria-Style Pinquito Beans
Elevate your next barbecue or potluck with these Stewed Santa Maria-Style Pinquito Beans. Pinquito Beans are exclusively found and grown in the Santa Maria Valley in California and are small but mighty in both structure and flavor. While they do take some time, they are well worth the day's effort to enjoy this piece of a regional cuisine popular in the Central Coast of California.
Equipment
- 1 4 quart dutch oven
- 1 3 quart saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinquito beans I recommend Rancho Gordo brand.
- 8 cups stock of choice beef or vegetable work well here, but you can also use chicken stock.
- 3 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 ham bone from one smoked, fully cooked ham
- 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup diced yellow onion divided
- 1 cup diced carrots divided
- 1 cup diced celery divided
- 8 ounces smoked fully cooked ham diced into 1/4 inch chunks
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark variety
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups bean broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire cause
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Rinse and sort beans. Set aside in a large bowl.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven. Add 1/2 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup diced onion, and 1/2 cup diced celery and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with two generous pinches of kosher salt and black pepper. Add beans and cover with the 8 cups of stock. Bring to a simmer and cook the beans until tender, about 4 to 5 hours.
- During the last hour of the beans simmering, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add remaining carrots, onion, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add ham and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes until ham begins to brown slightly. Add salt, ancho chili powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, dry mustard, and paprika. Cook while stirring for 1 minute until spices begin to smell toasty. Add in tomato paste, 1 cup bean broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Drain beans, reserving about 3 cups bean broth. Return beans and reserved cooking liquid to dutch oven then stir in sauce. Simmer beans over low heat to allow all the flavors to meld together and beans become very tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve.