Belly Timber
We don't talk like Pirates all the time, but you need to know, "Belly Timber" is food, grub, what ya fill yer belly with.
Hi, I'm Mother Hen. I blog at Ship Full O' Pirates, where I talk about homeschooling, laundry, fun family stuff and food.
I've got 5 big (most of 'em), hungry (all of 'em) Pirates, 1 pretty little Princess and 1 hard workin' Hubby. I manage to feed 'em all without breakin' th' bank.
I'm here to share some ideas on how to eat delicious, nourishing food and still be able to afford luxuries like gasoline and electricity. 
When all the Pirates were little powder monkeys I realized that I better train their appetites for cheaper fare. You see, I just knew they'd all wanna be teenagers eventually. And most of 'em at the same time! Help!
So, on our menu, at least twice a week, is Rice and Beans. The cheapest Belly Timber goin'. And, of course, a complete protein as long as you actually consume some of both the rice and the beans.
I use brown rice and follow the instructions on the package. Sometimes I substitute broth for the water and it's super delicious, but usually I just use water.
Beans are super simple and once you've done it a few times, you'll wonder why you ever needed someone to tell you how in the first place.
The trick for making them not so "musical" is to soak 'em in plenty of water over night before cooking them. Personally, I don't care for pinto beans, I like small red beans. But kidney beans would be good, too.
I cook 2 pounds at once, that's enough for 2 meals for my crew. The pot I use is about 10 qts. It's huge. I like to use those big enamelware pots because you can buy a very large pot for less than your car payment.
So first get out your colander and rinse off your beans, and check to make sure there's no little rocks or weird stuff in there. Usually not, but ya never know. It happens from time to time.
Then put 'em in yer big bowl and fill it with water. The beans are gonna swell up pretty good. So start off with plenty of water, at least 3 inches above the beans. Now ya just leave it set on the counter overnight.
In the morning set the colander in the sink and dump the whole thing in there. But don't rinse 'em off. Just drain 'em.
Then dump 'em into yer big pot, and add fresh water to about 3 inches above the beans. Don't add any salt or seasonings at this point. Set the lid on the pot and turn the burner on high till it boils. Stir it and turn it down to low or med-low and let it simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Then, once the beans are soft and you can smush 'em easily against the inside of the pot with the back of your spoon, add about 3 tablespoons (more if you are actually in Texas) of McCormick's taco seasoning mix, and stir.
There ya go. Yer done.
The Pirates usually set out some stuff to go with the rice and beans, like flour tortillas, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and some habañero sauce for the truly brave.
No related posts.
7 Responses to “Belly Timber”
September 24th, 2008 at 6:49 am
when do you add the rice? Do you cook separately? Looks yummy.
September 24th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Yum — this (almost) cajun girl loves her beans and rice — it’s a staple here, too. I usually add some bacon to mine (or a ham bone the few times a year I have one of those around). I’ll have to try it without the salt pork sometime — much more frugal!
September 24th, 2008 at 8:13 am
This was a fun post and I enjoyed reading it, but I have some questions, too. Do you drain the beans when they are soft and done cooking, or has all the liquid cooked in at that point? Do you drain and then add the seasoning? And when do you add the rice? This looks good; I have a big “pirate crew”, too, and I think I’ll try this soon!
Susan
September 24th, 2008 at 9:51 am
MMSmith — I didn’t get an email with your comment, so I’ll post my reply here and on my blog:
Follow the same instructions as above, but add in the bacon or ham bone or whatever you want to use (any salt pork will work) while the beans simmer (usually about three hours). I take the bone out when I smush the beans against the side. Enough meat has usually fallen off the bone to add some great yum! If it’s bacon, the bacon just sort of falls apart and adds some meat and flavor to the beans.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Beans and rice are a frequent meal at our home, too, but I’ve never tried the taco seasoning. That may make all the difference with my crew, who like the rice but tolerate the beans. Thanks!
September 24th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I used to add meat, of different varieties, depending on what I had in the fridge, but I found that it added a lot to the expense of the meal and didn’t add enough flavor to warrant the expence.
I do cook the rice separately and I usually serve the beans over the rice. Draining? It just depends on how much liquid I end up with. My Hubby likes his plate pretty soupy, I like it much less so, so I just vary the way I spoon it up at the table.
Yes, you can add many other seasonings and even veggies if you like, but it’s very tasty using just the taco seasoning mix, and simplicity and low cost ranks high with me.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I buy sixteen bean soup mix, toss the seasoning packet and just cook the variety of beans like regular beans. It gives you a good assortment of beans. I always throw in a couple of garlic cloves, a dried chili and a bouquet of various herbs from the garden. It smells delicious when it cooks and tastes delicious when it’s done. Just be sure and either throw out the chili or dice it really small before you eat it. You don’t want to swallow a whole birdseye chili! I toss the herbs and cut up the garlic and put it, along with the chili, back in the beans and serve.
Leave a Comment