Beans and ham hock with cornbread with bacon, jalapeño and cheese.

Soaked overnight. The jar was only 1/5 the way full of dry beans. They absorbed nearly all the water in the jar. 

Then I thought the beans absorbing the water cannot push the water out of jar, rather, they absorb it and the water level stays the same.

So what if you put a dry sponge into the jar? Would the sponge absorb the water the same way? Will the sponge simply hydrate and expand within the jar while the water moves through the sponge instead of around it and the water level stays the same.

Answer: I bet you $10.00 the sponge is the same as the beans.

I never dropped into one of the roadside stands for a bushel of roasted Hatch chile peppers. Rather, I bought these from Whole Foods refrigerator and the pile was a complete mess. All the char is still on them. None was rubbed off. 

They finally thawed.

There is very little meat on this ham hock. It is mostly fat and connective tissue. Some of that 50/50 fat/meat stuff I could eat but I don't want to. 

I am done.

I tasted this and it seems skinny. Weird because the ham hock flavored this very nicely, plus it is smoked. It is simple. It is easy to understand. 

If I add tomatoes then that will change the color. I really like the light color and now it will darken unattractively. Too bad. 

I need acid. Acid with flavor and with body such as with tomatoes. 

I need something stronger than that like Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

I need something sweet like sugar or honey or fruit preserves. 

I need something full-bodied to contribute roundness like anchovy or Asian fish sauce.

The beans are taste-tested with each addition. With each test something is still missing. A spot is empty. Some place on the tongue, some aroma, something that fills out. 

Salt, Pepper, cumin, coriander, asafetida. 

Done with that.

Two teaspoons of baking powder.

A series of photos is missing here. Things happen too quickly for me to do and photograph. 

I added sugar and salt and stirred it little as possible. The mixture is foaming from the multi-stage baking powder.

The cast iron pan is pre-heating in the oven. The hot pan is taken out and a pat of butter tossed into it. The butter melts and pan is tilted to spread the melted butter around. The batter is already beginning to foam from the baking powder. It is poured into the pan. It is too thick to pour so it is placed in the cast iron baking pan with a spoon. The batter is already sizzling from the cast iron pan having been preheated. The cornbread is already starting to cook. It's on! It must be placed in the oven immediately as it is sizzling away.

But I got no pictures of all this.

     Too bad.

It is baked at high heat. The aroma fills the room and the heat is cut back. Another few minutes added to darken the color. It was never tested for doneness. Because ... come on. It's done already. It has puffed up evenly and held it. It has separated from the baking pan on its own. Its color has darkened considerably. It is done.

Dun diddly dun dun dun. 

I don't have to test it. It's done.