Anasazi beans are large, red-and-white speckled beans that look sort of like a cross between a pinto bean and a kidney bean. They were cultivated by Native American civilizations in the American Southwest over 2,000 years ago. They are also delicious!
One of the interesting thing about the anasazi bean is that it has less starch per serving than pinto beans, but is also faster-cooking. About the only drawback is that they are somewhat difficult to find; my local HEB carries them, but only infrequently.
I had been eyeing them on the shelf for a long time, and finally decided a month ago to buy a bag and do something with them - this recipe, inspired by the basic 'cooked white beans' recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, was what I came up with.
Hardware
1 Large Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
Colander (for rinsing beans)
1 large saucepan
Software (for the beans)
1 lb dried Anasazi beans
1 medium onion
12 oz smoked bacon
1 (14.5oz can) tomatoes and green chiles
1 bay leaf
2 tsp chili powder
1 pinch red pepper flake or cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Software (for the rice)
2 cups white rice (I prefer Texmati)
2 tablespoons butter
heavy pinch salt
4 cups water
Assembly:
Check over the beans on a tray or counter for rock. Rinse the beans and soak overnight in cold water.
Chop the onion and bacon and set aside. Drain the beans. Cook the bacon in the large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until cooked thoroughly. Remove the bacon (using a slotted spoon) and add the onion and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook the onion in the bacon fat until translucent; return the bacon to the pan, and add the beans, along with 6 cups water, the (drained) can of tomatoes, and the chili powder and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for approximately 90 minutes (check the beans for doneness at this point)
For the rice, heat the butter in the saucepan over high heat. Once melted, add the rice and a pinch of salt. Saute the rice until toasted, then add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. cover and reduce heat to simmer; simmer for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to rest for 10 more minutes.
Serve the beans over the rice - keep in mind that dried beans can take a LOT of salt.
