Southern Style Lima Beans Food

SOUTHERN STYLE LIMA BEANS

Steps:

• Simmer beans in one to two quarts of water for 30 minutes, either in the crockpot on "high" heat or in another pot over the stove. The beans will have swelled and softened slightly.
• Drain and put them into the crockpot.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Cook four to eight hours on "auto-shift" or "low" heat.
• At some point, remove the ham hocks and separate the bones and fat from the bits of meat, cutting up the meat to return to crockpot.
• When done, this dish should resemble a stew with a thick broth. The beans should be soft, but not quite falling apart. If you cook it too long, it will be tasty but will resemble split pea soup.
• Serve with biscuits or cornbread.

SOUTHERN LIMA BEANS WITH HAM

Steps:

• Rinse and sort the beans. Set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the rinsed beans, ham hock, bay leaf, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat slightly just so that it's at a low boil, and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce heat again just so that the liquid is simmering. Cover and cook for about 1 ½ hours, or until beans are tender. Check the beans after 1 hour, because they may be soft enough at that point if you like your beans a bit more firm. If you prefer the beans really soft and broken down, you may prefer to extend the cooking time to 2 hours. While the beans are cooking, check to occasionally make sure that the beans are covered with water (adding more water, if necessary). Discard bay leaf, remove ham hock from the pot, and shred or chop the meat. Return chopped meat to the pot with the beans. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish individual servings with hot sauce and herbs; serve with cornbread.

SOUTHERN LIMA BEANS WITH RICE

Steps:

• I know the bag says to soak the beans overnight, but you really don't have to.
• Wash the beans, and then put them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for 1 hour.
• After the beans have sat, drain the water and sit the beans to the side.
• Add the oil to the pot and sauté the ham hocks and onions together, until onion is clear and tender, add garlic and sauté about 2 minutes more. Add the beans and cover with water.
• Add pepper and salt--only about 1 teaspoon of salt at first.
• Bring to a boil; stir, reduce heat and cover and simmer for about 2 hours.
• Keep checking the water level and stirring every once in a while. Add more water if needed, but not too much.
• Just enough to keep about 1 inch of water above the beans as they cook.
• Cook until beans are tender, adding more salt if needed. The water will turn into a wonderful gravy. Serve over rice.

SOUTHERN STYLE BABY LIMA BEANS

Steps:

• In a large pot, slightly saute bacon about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
• Cook for 30 minutes, stirring periodically. If needed add water. You do not need a lot of liquid, but you don't want them to burn. So add if necessary. Season with salt if desired.
• Cook for another 30 minutes until buttery tender and enjoy.

INSTANT POT SOUTHERN VEGAN BUTTER BEANS

Steps:

• Place butter beans in the Instant Pot, add onion, garlic, celery, red bell pepper, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper.
• Add water or vegetable broth, vegan bouillon cube, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and hickory liquid smoke.
• Turn your Instant Pot on. Place lid on the Instant Pot and close the lid. Turn the knob to the sealing position.
• Press Manual setting and cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes.
• Allow to naturally release pressure for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid, if your butter beans have too much liquid.
• Turn off the Instant Pot and turn it on again, press the Saute mode, and allow to cook until it has reached the desired thickness. Mash some of the beans.