Beans & Ham Hocks from the Green Apple Grill

The kids are back in school. The leaves are starting to turn and sooner or later, there'll be a nip in the air. Jake Tyler, the wounded warrior hero of The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club and owner of the Green Apple, is getting ready to add his infamous Beans & Ham Hocks to the menu.

("Why infamous?" I hear you asking. It's a recipe for beans. Think about it...)

But it's sure to please the hungry mouths around your table, especially if you pair it with fresh cornbread and cold apple cider. Here's what you do:

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups dried pinto or Great Northern beans (8 oz.)
6 cups water
2 small smoked ham hocks (about 8 oz. each)
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.      Rinse the beans. In a large saucepan, combine beans and 3 cups of the water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain beans and return to saucepan.
2.      Add the remaining 3 cups water, ham hocks, and butter to beans. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender, adding more water, if necessary, and stirring occasionally.
3.      Remove ham hocks; cool slightly. Remove meat from ham hocks; chop meat. Stir chopped meat, onion and salt into beans. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more or until heated through. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Enjoy! And click over to check out some more Green Apple Recipes. 

Do YOU have a favorite fall recipe you'd like to share?

Oh! Did you know I'm giving away this lovely collection of novels?

To enter my Stack of Books Contest just click over and sign up for The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club newsletter. Better hurry. The contest closes September 30th.