RECIPE: Ham Hocks-n-Beans

A bowl of belly-warming, stick-to-your-ribs Ham Hocks-n-beans will help you power through your week.  It's easy to prepare and ready to rewarm to serve anytime for your maxed-out schedule.  The leftovers can be reinvented in a tortilla with some cilantro and sour cream or served under eggs a la juevos rancheros.

Ingredients:

• 1 1-2 lb Ham Hock from Ramstead Ranch
• 1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 jalapenos, whole or chopped
• ~2 cups of your favorite dry beans.  You can use pinto, garbanzo, black beans, you name it.  I prefer a mixture of beans, so I usually grab a 13-bean soup mix and use that.  Bob's Red Mill sells a great one.  
• 2 1/2 qt water
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. The night before you want to cook your meal, rinse ~2 cups of beans with water and place in a bowl.  Cover the beans with water and soak over night.  In the morning, drain and rinse the beans well.  Set in fridge until you are ready to cook.
2. Put beans in 6 qt pot and add 2 1/2 qt water, ham hock, onion, and jalapenos. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for ~3 1/2 hrs.  (NOTE: this is a perfect recipe for your crock pot or instapot.) 
3. Before serving, add salt and pepper to taste.  If you are sharing this meal with friends or family, remove the ham hock, and strip the meat from the bone and shred. Then add the meat back to the beans and serve.

Makes 8-10 servings

This is an easy recipe to double.  Cook twice as much and enjoy the leftovers in any of the many ways you can serve beans OR freeze a portion to thaw and enjoy later.  You'll thank yourself a couple of Mondays from now when a home cooked meal is just a quick thaw away.  From our pastures to your plate!