Soup Beans with Skillet Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried pinto beans
• 1 smoked ham hock, about 12 oz
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 8 cups water
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 2 cups stone-ground white cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp fine salt, for the cornbread
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 tbsp bacon drippings
• 1 small onion, to serve
• 1 cup chow-chow relish, to serve

Before you cook

• Sort through the beans and discard any stones or broken beans.
• Cover the beans with cold water by three inches and soak them for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Drain the beans and rinse them well.
• Peel the large onion and chop it coarsely.
• Peel and crush the garlic cloves.
• Peel the small onion and dice it finely for serving.
• Whisk the cornmeal, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl.
• Whisk the eggs into the buttermilk in a separate jug.

Steps

1. Put the drained beans, the ham hock, the chopped onion, the garlic, the black pepper and the red pepper flakes in a large pot.
2. Pour in the 8 cups of water and bring the pot to a boil.
3. Skim off any grey foam that rises to the surface.
4. Lower the heat until the liquid moves with just a few lazy bubbles.
5. Simmer the beans partly covered for 2 hours, stirring every half hour and topping up with hot water if they look dry.
6. Test a bean by crushing it against the side of the pot; it should collapse into cream.
7. Lift the ham hock out onto a board and let it cool for 10 minutes.
8. Pull the meat off the bone, shred it, and stir it back into the pot.
9. Add the salt and mash a cupful of beans against the pot wall to thicken the broth.
10. Heat the oven to 425F and put the bacon drippings in a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
11. Slide the skillet into the oven for 6 minutes, until the fat shimmers and smells nutty.
12. Pour the buttermilk and eggs into the dry cornmeal mixture and stir just until no dry pockets remain.
13. Take the hot skillet out of the oven and swirl the fat up the sides.
14. Pour the hot fat into the batter, stir it once, then pour the batter straight back into the skillet, where it should hiss.
15. Bake the cornbread for 22 minutes, until the top is set and the edges have pulled away from the pan.
16. Turn the cornbread out onto a board and cut it into wedges.
17. Ladle the beans into bowls and top each with a spoonful of raw diced onion and a spoonful of chow-chow.