As a direct follow-up to last week’s Balsamic Pasta and Peas, here’s another one of Mer’s creations. With no pictures, for now, because even though we eat this once a week on average, I never remember to break out the camera.

Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 shallots, diced
• 2 cloved garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (if canned) or soaked and cooked (if dried)
• Medium-grain rice, prepared as per package directions
• Cheese or sour cream (optional)

Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add beans and stir fry for 5 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with cheese or sour cream.

Ahoy, me hearties! Today be the grandest holiday ever yanked out of Poseidon’s bloomers, Talk Like A Pirate Day! Never a day more timbers be shivered, more ‘lubbers are landed, or more men blown down than this. We have a mighty good spread below decks for ye SRSLY fans, with a properly piratical theme to keep ye scurvy dogs sails full on yer day o’ swashbucklin’! Avast, hold true, and may ye live the good life in the sweet trade, matey’s!

SRrrrrSLY Scallywag Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork, cubed
• 2 parsnips, roughly chopped
• 1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed and checked for stones
• 4 ounces dried cherries (unsweetened if you can find them), roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, cracked with the side of your knife
• 1 1/2 cups rum
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or ham stock (or both… or vegetable. Doesn’t really matter.)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

Regular method: Heat your soup pot to medium high, sear your pork cubes on all sides, about a minute per side. Reduce heat to medium, and deglaze your pot with stock, whisking to get all the brown bits off the bottom. Add all your ingredients, and simmer covered 3 to 4 hours, or until the beans are done.

SRSLY method: combine all ingredients in a zip-top bag and freeze. To serve, heat in slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Served over hardtack, or barring that, biscuits will do too.

This recipe was cross-posted from our sister site, Living Behind the Curve. For more information about the “Slow Cooking Really Simplifies Life, Yo. (SRSLY)” method, click here.