Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease* or olive oil
- 2 cups sliced onions*
- 2 cloves garlic*, minced
- 4 cups dried organic pinto beans*, rinsed
- 8 cups chicken*, pork*, or vegetable* stock
- 8 ounces greens*, tough stems removed and leaves chopped (kale, chard, bok choi, or mustard greens)
- sea salt and pepper, as needed
- hot sauce, optional
- 2 2/3 cups War Eagle Mill stoneground corn meal*
- 2/3 cup War Eagle Mill unbleached, all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (less if using a finer grain salt)
- 3 eggs*, beaten
- 2 2/3 cups buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted plus 2 tablespoons to melt in skillet
Instructions
For the Beans and Greens:
- Heat bacon grease or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until translucent.
- Add dried beans and broth to cover. Bring to a boil, and then turn down heat, cooking slowly until beans are tender, about 3-4 hours.
- Add greens, and cook another 20 minutes, until tender. Season generously with salt and pepper, and serve with hot sauce, alongside Cast Iron Cornbread.
For the Cast Iron Cornbread:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, corn meal, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the butter in a large cast iron skillet, and place in preheated oven to melt the butter and heat the skillet. Pour the batter into the hot buttered skillet, and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in cornbread comes out clean.
About this recipe
Our Must-try Local Dish: Beans, Greens, & Cornbread
Edible Ozarkansas had the opportunity to present a must-try local dish from Arkansas, which distinctly represents our region, both in that it is locally sourced, and that it is a dish individuals make and eat in their own homes. We chose The Farmer’s Table Cafe’s Beans, Greens, & Cornbread.
Beans, Greens, & Cornbread is a conventional dish Arkansans cook and eat in their own homes. As prepared by Rob and Adrienne Shaunfield, owners of The Farmer’s Table Cafe, the dish is an exemplary representation of the way we want to encourage our food scene to continue to evolve: with a heavy emphasis on local sourcing. Food should be representative of our culture in terms of the people who cook and eat here, and as a response to what our land produces. Few establishments are sourcing their food more intentionally than The Farmer’s Table Cafe, in Fayetteville. Most seasons, more than 80 percent of the ingredients in this dish are locally sourced. With the exception of salt, pepper, and hot sauce, the Beans & Greens can be 100 percent locally sourced. The cornbread highlights the cornmeal and flour from the historic War Eagle Mill, a working gristmill just 30 miles from the restaurant.
We appreciate Rob and Adrienne leading the charge to return simple, honest dishes full of Arkansas heritage to popular menus, and for keeping this traditional staple at a low price point for all to enjoy.
*Source List:
Bacon grease - http://grassrootscoop.com/
Onions - https://greenforkfarmersmarket.locallygrown.net/growers/show/4664
Garlic - https://www.facebook.com/Martys-Produce-LLC-1387396654816116/
Chicken - http://www.acrossthecreekfarm.com/
Greens - http://drippingspringsgarden.com/
Stoneground corn meal - http://www.wareaglemill.com/
Unbleached, all-purpose flour - http://www.wareaglemill.com/
