Tom Dompe is a second generation farmer who grows large and baby limas along with
alfalfa and almonds in Crows Landing and the westside of Stanislaus County, California..

Dompe Bros. was started by his dad and uncles and now it’s run by Tom and his cousins. They not only grow the beans they also own and run bean warehouses in Crows Landing, California and Kimberly, Idaho. Tom didn’t always want to be a farmer, he wanted to be a veterinarian, but changed his mind after a few courses at Cal Poly. After graduating he came to farming full time. His love of food and cooking has helped him contribute his skills to the communities of Newman, Crows Landing and Patterson, California . If there is a BBQ for a fundraiser, Tom and his friends can be found cooking tri tip, chicken or some other wonderful main dish. He loves to have friends over for dinners and is a very gracious host. I have had the good fortune of being included in some of these dinners and the food is always delicious! I caught up with Tom when he was cooking a massive amount of beans for an FFA fundraiser. He graciously shared his recipe for a VERY large crowd. This recipe is for 20 gallons or servings for over 200. The recipe is chock full of meat, spicy and wonderful!

Tom really didn’t have a name for this recipe so I gave it the moniker of Tom’s Spicy Pinto Beans for a Very Large Crowd.

Tom’s Spicy Pinto Beans for a Very Large Crowd
25 lbs. dry pinto beans
10 lbs. hamburger
10 lbs. linguica, sliced
8 lbs. onions, chopped
3.5 lbs. bell pepper, chopped
1 lbs. minced garlic
2 # 10 cans diced tomatoes
1 # 10 can tomato sauce
3 cups tomato paste
3.5 oz. salt
3.5 oz. pepper
3.5 oz. granulated garlic
3.5 oz. ground cumin
2 oz. chili powder
Sort and soak the pinto beans overnight or 8 hours.
Cook hamburger and drain fat. Cook linguica. Cook onions, bell pepper and
garlic.
Drain water from the beans and put beans in pot with just enough water to
cover. Bring water to boil then turn down heat to a simmer.
After beans come to a boil put in the hamburger, linguica, onions, bell
pepper, garlic. Cook for about an hour until beans start to soften.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, cumin
and chili powder. Cook for another hour or so until done.

Enjoy!