indigo pears

It is a cool, rainy day. Perfect for making a simple, comforting, meal. I reached for a cookbook from the author of one of my favorite series.....the Mitford series by Jan Karon.

I'm not disappointed....Jan shares lots of Southern recipes here. Her pot of beans is just what I am looking for....and a cornbread recipe (in an iron skillet, of course!).

She also has a good recipe for collard greens. However, I used this one, which I found on the Internet before opening her book. [I did add a T. of brown sugar and a dash of apple cider vinegar to the greens after reading some of the comments with this recipe!] This was my first time to try collard greens. Not bad! [I'm learning to like kale, also!]

Jan's Pot of Beans in Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook


1 pound mixed dried beans, picked over
3 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 T. minced garlic, heaping
1 T. dried rosemary
1 T. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 ham hock
1 T. paprika
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 t. coarse sea salt (added after beans are VERY soft)
Tabasco sauce to taste
Chopped Vidalia onions, for serving (topping each bowl)


Place beans in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the beans sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans. In the same stockpot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat and saute the onions and garlic for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add the beans and enough fresh water to cover. Add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, checking the beans often and adding water as necessary. Once beans are soft, add the ham and sea salt....cook as long as you wish, the flavors just get better! Remove the bay leaves before serving.