Civil War Recipes: Pinto Bean Pie

Pinto beans don't seem like a likely ingredient to star in a dessert pie. But necessity is often the mother of invention and, in the Civil War, southern homemakers made the best of what they had on hand. Surprisingly, pinto beans make a delicious filling for a sweet spiced pie.

The South has always been known for its gorgeous and abundant pecan trees. In the 19th century, most of the pecans in the Carolinas and Georgia grew wild. When people wanted to harvest, they went foraging in the countryside. When the Civil War began, the countryside became a dangerous place to be, between Northern troops and a Home Guard that implemented curfews on a subjective and random basis. Families had to get more creative about meals, especially desserts, which usually were more likely to involve ingredients that were hard to come by, either blockaded by the North or stockpiled by Southern merchants no longer accepting Confederate currency. When most food supplies began to dwindle, often households still had some stored spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Pinto beans were easy to grow, having been a staple of the South for five hundred years. When dried, pinto beans would last for up to a year and were therefore a versatile ingredient.

The rule with Pinto Bean Pie is to just serve it. Don't tell your guests what it is. They will likely guess pecan or sweet potato pie. They will fall in love with it.

Pinto Bean Pie

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (or one 15 ounce can of rinsed drained pintos)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon finely ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream the sugar and butter until combined. Add eggs and stir well. Add all of the other ingredients and blend by hand or with mixer until will combined.

Pour the filling into an unbaked pie shell and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until set, about one hour.