Cowboy Cuisine

[not-fledged-yet.livejournal.com]

This week my home city of Calgary hosts the Stampede, a one-week long celebration of our Western/Cowboy heritage and "The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth". Normally Calgary is a fairly buttoned-down business-oriented city but for one week we cut loose, dress in cowboy duds, and eat free Pancake Breakfasts at various locations across the city.

In honour of Stampede Week, I just cooked up a classic cowboy dish that I thought I'd share with you all.

Pork and Beans
6 slices of pork side or thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 cans of beans
chopped fresh cilantro

Cook the pork and onion together until the onion is translucent and the pork and onion have cooked down. I did this by covering the pot and stirring occasionally. Add the beans and cook covered over low heat for about ten minutes. I used beans in maple syrup (another Canadian specialty, though not from the West). Stir in cilantro and serve with sourdough bread.