Hey Hoe! Let's Go!

There's really nothin' better than a hot bowl of beans, greens, and cornbread. I picked up some Borlotti beans at the farmer's market a few weeks ago. I couldn't resist their cute pink and white specks. They were still in the pod, so I shelled them and tossed them in the freezer for later use.

That use came this week when I made these tasty Borlotti Beans with Kale and Tempeh Bacon Chunks:


I was a little sad that the beans lost their specks after cooking, but they still tasted delicious! I don't usually put tempeh in my beans, but so many Southerners spike their beans and greens with bacon, so I marinated some tempeh in my bacon-ish marinade. The smokiness really stands out in the beans. I may start adding tempeh more often.

And no bowl o'beans is complete with some type of cornbread. Rather than bake a big batch, I opted for Southern Fried Hoe Cakes:


These are like tiny cornbread pancakes fried in vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet. I'm using the recipe for my cookbook, but I think I may try them next time with diced jalapeno.

Legend has it the cakes were called "hoe cakes" back in the day when field hands would cook them over an open fire in the mouth of a shovel or hoe.