Appalachian Pinto Bean Skillet with Cornbread Crumbs

Ingredients

• 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup coarse cornbread crumbs or cornmeal
• 3 tbsp neutral oil or butter, divided
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and beginning to colour.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the smoked paprika for 20 seconds. Paprika added over direct heat scorches within seconds and turns bitter.
3. Return the pan to the heat, add the beans and the broth, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the beans are creamy.
5. Crush about a third of the beans against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon and stir them back in, so the skillet holds together as a thick, spoonable mass rather than sitting in broth.
6. Toast the cornbread crumbs in a separate dry pan with the remaining oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and audibly crisp.
7. Toasting them separately keeps them crunchy. Stirred into the wet beans they simply dissolve.
8. Stir the vinegar into the beans, taste for salt, then scatter the crumbs over the top and serve at once with the fresh herbs.

Allergen note: Contains gluten and dairy.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.