I was raised eating beans; Pinto beans, to be exact. Growing up I ate beans by the bowlful, loaded up with all the goodies one can pile on beans. Cheese, tomatoes, black olives, radishes, taco sauce, chili, sour cream… each bowl tailored to one’s own bean fancy. A bowl of pinto beans is like that simple little black dress; stunning by itself and magnificent with some accessories.
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| 25 lbs of Beans from Costco. Cost about $13.00. Best deal on the planet! |
My love of this little legume is no secret. Sure, I hear the familiar, worn out cracks about flatulence made by those gringos who assume my high consumption of beans makes me a permanent gas bag. Truth be told, I’ve had far worse gas from eating falafel than from any pot of pintos I cooked myself. My gut knows what to do with them, and never gave me or anyone else grief out the back end.
Pinto beans are ridiculously stupid to make. They’re the perfect thing to put on the burner when you know you’ll have a stretch of time to keep an eye on them. I don’t believe in soaking. Others may do it, but I don’t. A nice cozy Sunday afternoon is a good time to cook up a pot for that evening. Or cook some up in the evening, and enjoy for the next day. Beans are always better the next day.
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| Onion, Garlic, Red Chili Flakes, Salt and some Olive Oil |
You’ll need…
1 ½ cup – 2 cups Dry Pinto Beans
½ of a medium sized Onion, Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
6 – 8 cups Water
2 – 3 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Red Chili Flakes
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| What 1 1/2 cups of dried pinto beans look like. |
Total Cook Time: 3 Hours
Spread out dry beans on flat surface and look for any “objectionable” beans and rocks and remove them. Throw beans into a large pot and add cold water to rinse the beans. (Stick your hands in and swish them around for a bit) Drain water (leave the beans) and add pot to the stove. Add the first six cups of water to the beans and crank the heat up to high.
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| Everything in the pot! (minus the salt) |
Let the water to come up to a boil without a lid. Add the Olive Oil, chopped onion, minced garlic and a couple pinches of Red Chili Flakes. But hold the salt! Once the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and place a lid on the pot. If the lid doesn’t have a vent, place the lid on the pot slightly askew to allow steam to escape and prevent boil-over.
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| Beans at a good rolling boil. Turn down the heat and put a lid on it. |
After 1 ½ hours, add salt. Don’t add salt in the beginning! I use to add salt in the beginning, but have read that you shouldn’t do that. I couldn’t tell you what difference it makes with the final product, but I’ve decided maybe others know better than I do and I bowed to their will. So I’m telling you now… add salt halfway through, not at the beginning. Let the beans simmer with the lid on for another hour.
At the 2 ½ hour mark, take the lid off the pot and crank the heat up to medium. If water has gotten too low, add a ½ cup to a cup of water into the pot. But not too much at once. This is the point where you want the water to reduce. This is also a good time to taste the broth and determine if more salt is needed. Keep in mind that the more liquid that is reduced, the stronger the taste will get.
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| Beans mid-way. |
If you want your beans a little more soupy, make sure you keep adding small amounts of water at a time for the final half hour. If you want less broth, don’t add as much water, but keep a very very close eye on the beans to make sure they don’t burn. And stir regularly to keep beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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| Keep those beans from burnin'! |
After three hours are gone, you have a pot of beans!
1 ½ cups of dried beans will make roughly 4 servings. 2 cups will make 5-6 servings.
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| The finished product. Good color. Thick broth. Did I mention the gorgeous smell filling the kitchen? |
Serving Suggestions!
Beans are great on the side with your favorite Mexican dish!
Beans in a bowl! Add your favorite toppings and eat like a soup. I love cheese, sour cream, fresh chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, sliced radishes, shredded lettuce, and my favorite taco sauce.
Beans with my Fake New Mexican Chili sauce! (recipe to follow shortly)
Beans with tortillas, corn or flour, or sopapillas! (recipe to follow shortly)
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| Beans topped with my Fake New Mexican Chile! And Sopapillas to soak up the goodness. |
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| Beans as a side to my Veggie-burger tacos, served with Spanish Rice. |
Beans will keep for five days or so in the fridge.
