I am about to do some serious debunking...
You heard me! De-Bunking!
It was 4 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. I really wanted to make a vegetarian black bean chili, but alas...
No soaked beans. No canned beans. Just two (2) bags of dried ones. Staring at me. With disapproval.
Why didn't you plan ahead and soak us?, they sneered. Those beany sneers egged me on, forced me to do something unheard of: I would cook dried, unsoaked black beans!
The Horror! The Heresy!
I figured that if they didn't soften fast enough, I could finish cooking them, make something else for dinner, and use the beans another day. And... edging even further down the road of Foodie Disobedience...
I salted the water!
In for a penny...
While these Rogue Beans simmered away, I made the rest of the chili in another pan. I sautéed chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and some dragon cayennes from the yard, along with smoked salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, and a can of tomatoes.
This was so good I thought we might eat it even if the beans failed... As, of course, I knew they would... right? Don't "they" all say Soak Soak Soak... Never Salt At The Beginning, etc.?
Guess what? Within 2 hours, the beans were perfect. I added 4 cups of the beans to the chili mixture, let that simmer for a bit, corrected the seasoning...
Filled hot bowls... Grated some cheddar... Spooned on some sour cream... Sprinkled with scallions...
And... In A LOT less than 3 hours start-to-service...
Gorgeous chili on the table. And once we stirred this smoky, creamy, beany, cheesy, crunchy, oniony, tomato-y melange together, it was as lusciously rich and satisfying as I'd hoped!
Take that, Old Wives' Tales!
Take that, Food Police Rules!
And, I have two containers of wonderful cooked black beans in the fridge...
Just waiting to become...
Something wonderful!