Pinkie’s Green Beans

OK, first thing. Get all of those insecure thoughts about pink out of your mind. Yes, insecure. Because only men insecure in their own sexuality are afraid of pink. A True Man can wear any darn color he wants and still look great! And, guys, ladies love pink! I often wear a pink tie with my suit when I perform. Every time, I get numerous compliments from ladies. Many of them have come straight out and said it showed confidence and self-assuredness. I’m just sayin’…

Now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you that Pinkie Rideau is a Blues/Rock singer with whom I perform. She’s absolutely fabulous, and has become a good friend in a very short time. It just kills me that she’s retiring at the end of the year, due to health reasons. I’ve got to tell you, if you’re in the general Sacramento area, you owe it to yourself to come see her perform before she’s through. You can learn more on her Facebook fan page, and you can keep an eye on my schedule here, including my remaining dates with Pinkie.

Just recently I was up North a bit, visiting Pinkie and her family. Of course, that included dinner. Pinkie made two family favorites: Ox Tail Stew, and her family’s recipe for green beans. They use the same ingredients that most Southern green bean recipes use, but prepared in a slightly different way.

I’m the one who called them Pinkie’s Green Beans. Pinkie HerOwnSelf tells me it was actually Grandma Estelle who taught her. That’s three generations before Pinkie, so we’re four generations back into their recipe file. I think that’s pretty cool, don’t you? Let’s go have some fun!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. bacon
1 medium white onion
2 15oz. cans green beans
Pepper

Instructions:

Get everything ready to go. That means chopping the bacon into 1 inch pieces, chopping the onion into a fine dice and opening and draining the cans of beans.

Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron or non-stick, over medium heat.  Make sure you have something to cover it with. You’re going to need it, so plan for it now.

>Once the pot is hot, add the bacon. Let it cook until crispy.

Add the onion, and cook for about three minutes, until onions are starting to go translucent and soft.

Add the green beans, then sprinkle a generous portion of pepper over the top. Stir everything up thoroughly so everything gets to know everything else and it all gets happy.

Reduce heat to low, and cover pot. It’s going to take about 15 minutes for the green beans to start to brown, and another five to seven to finish. Check your pan after about four minutes, and stir everything up again. Do this again at four minute intervals until the green beans get close to done. Then, check every two to three minutes.

You’ll know the beans are done when the ends look a bit like the way the skin on your fingers and toes looks when you’ve been in the bath tub too long.

Once the beans are done, you can serve immediately, or turn off the heat and cover the pan.

Notes:

This recipe is even more amazing with fresh green beans. If you do them for the same amount of time, there should still be some snap to them. If you want them to be about the same consistency as canned beans, you’ll need to cook then for 40-45 minutes.

Don’t worry about the bacon being too crisp. When you add the onions and cover the skillet, the bacon will rehydrate.

It’s very important to keep the skillet covered.  If you don’t, the beans will go way past tub toes into mummified remains.

For a spicier version, substitute cayenne pepper for black, or add some hot sauce to the bacon, stirring it into the grease before you add the onions. Two other additions I want to experiment with are slivered almonds and garlic, not necessarily at the same time… But maybe. Hmmmm… Let me know if you try either, OK?

Have fun with this one and don’t forget to check out Pinkie. And, really guys, get over your fear of pink. It’s just not Manly. Above all,

Play with your food!

Lane

I’ve got more Veggie Recipes here.

Manly Kitchen’s Lane Baldwin performs with Pinkie Rideau at the iconic
Torch Club in Sacramento, California. And yes, they’re both wearing pink!

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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