Recipe: Yaller Bread (Corn Bread) with Ranch Beans and Cow Town Coleslaw

YALLER BREAD (CORN BREAD) WITH PINTOS

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup Ranch Beans (recipe follows)
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x8-inch pan or cast iron skillet.

Combine the buttermilk, eggs, sugar and soda and mix well. Add the beans and the corn.

Sift together the flour and cornmeal. Slowly add the flour mixture to the liquids, whisking until well incorporated. Whisk in the melted butter. Pour the batter into prepared pan or skillet.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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RANCH BEANS

4 cups dried pinto beans
4 cups minced yellow onions plus 1 1/2 cups diced
1/2 cup pure chile powder
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups red bell pepper, diced
2 cups green bell pepper, diced

Wash the beans and sort through them to remove any foreign particles and broken beans. In a stockpot, cover the beans with cold water by 6 inches and soak them 6 hours, or overnight. Be sure the beans remain covered with water during the soaking process.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Drain the beans and return them to the same pan. Cover them with fresh water by 1 1/2 inches. Add the minced onions, chile powder, salt and cilantro and stir to blend. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until the beans are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. From time to time check and stir the beans. If necessary, add water as needed. Near the end of the cooking time the liquid should be almost absorbed.

Close to serving time, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When the oil is very hot, add the diced onions and peppers and cook them quickly, about 6 minutes, stirring and tossing, until crisp but tender. Stir this mixture into the beans. Serve at once.

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COW TOWN COLESLAW

5 cups julienned green cabbage (about 1 head)
1 1/2 cups julienned red cabbage (about 1/3 head)
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
5 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and julienned
FOR THE DRESSING:
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all of the vegetables in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and lime juice. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Set aside in the refrigerator until serving time. It is best made and served on the same day.

Source: A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos by Grady Spears, Robb Walsh, and James Evans