The Best Pork and Beans Ever

Here's a little story about this bean dish....it will always remain a memory. I remember this "bechuelas" dish as a little girl, somewhere between the age of 5-10. Every summer, my cousins and I would take swimming lessons at the local YMCA, which is near Mamang's house (Mamang's our maternal grandmother, btw). Swimming day would mean a treat (more like a meal, really!) after our lessons. We would all troop down to my grandmother's house where she would welcome all about 7-10 of us and nourish our little tired and worn bodies (we had an "Army Seargeant" for a swimming coach, you would think he was training us for the Olympics).

No one will ever forget Mamang's pork and beans. They were the best beans and we would eagerly wait in line for our share. Through the years, we have kept the recipe of this ultra-savory bean dish. She has passed on to eternity, but the memory has never faded. Every so often I like to surprise my mom (especially) with this dish.

Mamang's Homemade Pork and Beans

White kidney beans
Pork belly slices
Large onion chopped
Whole head of garlic
Tomato sauce'
Cheese cubes

1. Soak your beans in water overnight. Drain and rinse
2. In a large pot, boil your beans, pork, and garlic until both pork and beans are tender.
3. Add chopped onion and tomato sauce.
4. Simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Boil for another few minutes and add the cheese.

Long and slow cooking is the secret to good beans. It might look like a lot of work, but it's all done in stages. Once it's put together in the pot, you can forget about it until it's time to eat.. the taste is worth it and Mamang's legacy lives on.