I’m sharing a family recipe from my paternal Grandma. A favorite of mine, it’s very simple and I’ve changed it only slightly over the years as it was damn near perfect to begin with. I lost this Grandma just after my 12th birthday, before I’d ever cooked it or discovered my love of cooking. If I had my best guess, this recipe was born out of the Great Depression when meat was expensive and stretching a dollar was critical. All I know it that the crunch of the celery, the sweetness of the onion, the creaminess of the beans, the salty crispness of the bacon and the spice and heat of the pepper and pepper flakes makes this a delicious and treasured family recipe.
KIDNEY BEAN STEW
Serves 2-4
1 1/2 – 2 c chopped celery
1 1/2 – 2 c chopped sweet white onion
1 c dark red kidney beans – rinsed & drained
red pepper flakes – to taste
coarse ground black pepper – to taste
1 lb cooked, crispy bacon – reserve 2 T bacon drippings in the pan you’ll use to assemble this meal
Using a deep frying pan, start by cooking your bacon until crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
With the reserved bacon drippings, saute your celery, onion, red pepper flakes and black pepper until the celery becomes brighter green and the onions are just starting to soften.
Add the kidney beans and stir together, until they are heated through.
After you dish up this mixture, crumble crisp bacon over the top and dig in!
For more of my family recipes (think comfort food) go to the RECIPE menu above but I’ll make it easy and link you to another favorite by clicking here:
