Martyrdom of St. John Beans and Rice

History

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist is historically a day in which Christians fast. Since fasting is a topic that is not always familiar to Christians, we figured that this was a good opportunity to broach the topic of fasting. You’ll find a brief introduction to the Church’s traditional practice of fasting in this post.

Another historic custom for this feast that was mentioned in our previous post is the tradition of avoiding food that requires knives and round plates, recalling the manner of St. John’s execution.

In today’s post, then, we offer a recipe that observes historic fasting customs and requires neither a knife nor a plate to eat: beans and rice!

Martyrdom of St. John Beans and Rice

Since it does not require meat or other animal products in its preparation, beans and rice is a common fasting recipe for Christians throughout the world. If you’d like to eat it in the traditional fashion, feel free to serve it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon instead of a fork or a knife!

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion

1 small bell pepper

2 C dry pinto beans

5 C water

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp smoked paprika

2-3 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic

Instructions

1. Dice onion and bell pepper and sauté in oil over low-medium heat until tender.
2. Meanwhile, measure out 2 cups of dry pinto beans. Inspect for and remove any rocks and debris. Rinse under cold water. 
3. Combine beans, water, onion, pepper, and the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours and then either let cooker continue on “warm” if left overnight or set to low until cooked (approx. 4 hours more).

Images:
1. Icon pictured is the Theophany (Athos) Icon from Legacy Icons