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Beans

Frijoles de Olla (slow cooked)
Frijoles de Olla (quick cooked)
Frijoles Refritos
Canning Dried Beans

Frijoles de Olla (slow cooked)

What follows is more a method than a recipe...

Wash 2 - 3 cups of pinto or pink beans in a strainer. Check for and remove any dirt clods, stones and shriveled or otherwise bad-looking beans. Put beans in a pot or other suitable container and cover with a couple inches of cold water. Let beans soak overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans and put in an ovenproof container. I use a cast iron pot. A ceramic bean pot would be ideal, but I don't have one big enough. An oven-proof glass casserole or stainless steel pot can also be used.

Sauté some chopped onions and chopped fresh chiles in peanut or corn oil. I use a combination of mild Anaheims and/or poblanos, jalapenos and/or serranos for a bit of heat, and ripe Fresnos or other ripe red chiles, if available, for a bit of color. Stir the sautéed onions and chiles into the beans. Cover beans with an inch or two of broth. I use the smoky flavored broth I make and freeze from leftover smoked turkey or chicken if I have some available...regular chicken or turkey broth if not. De-stem and remove the seeds from a half dozen or so whole small dried chiles such as Fresno, puya or jalapeno...or 2 - 3 larger chiles such California, New Mexico and ancho. Sometimes I throw in a couple of chipotles as well for their nice smoky flavor and heat.

Stir in some ground cumin and crushed Mexican oregano (about half a teaspoon or to taste). Cover the pot and bake in an oven at 225 to 250 degrees fahrenheit until beans are cooked through, usually 7 to 8 hours. After a couple of hours, check to make sure there's liquid covering the beans. Add liquid as necessary (broth or water is fine, but my homemade pumpkin ale works even better) to make sure the beans are still cooking in some broth. Remove the cover for the last hour or so and continue to add a little liquid if necessary to make sure there's some broth left at the end of cooking.

When the beans are done, fish out the dried chiles, put in a blender, add some of the bean broth and thoroughly puree. Add the broth/chile puree back to the bean pot and stir in. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper if desired.

Serve with shredded jack or cheddar cheese, chopped onion, sliced pickled jalapenos, salsa, hot sauce (or whatever else might suit your fancy) on the side to add per individual discretion. Enjoy...

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Frijoles de Olla (quick cooked)

I came across a recipe using this method for cooking beans many years ago and it specifically said NOT to pre-soak the beans. I've tried it both ways -- pre-soaking and not pre-soaking -- and could not really tell if there was any difference. With pre-soaking, I cut the initial cooking time from 2.5 to 2 hours. Traditionally, frijoles were slow-cooked in an earthenware pot nestled in hot coals, but today the clay and coals have been traded for a stainless steel pot and stove top.

2.0 cups - dry beans
8.0 cups - water
2.0 tablespoons - lard or vegetable oil
1.0 tablespoon - salt
1.0 sprig - epazote (there is no substitute for epazote, omit if not available)
garnish of - salsa, chopped onions and/or fresh chiles, shredded cheese, sour cream...

Place the dry beans in a strainer. Pick through and wash the beans. Do not soak (yes, that's right...DO NOT SOAK). Place the beans, water, epazote and lard or oil in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours. Add salt and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Remove epzaote. Serve in bowls or on dinner plates as a side dish with a bit of the cooking broth, garnish to taste.

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Frijoles Refritos

5.0 cups - cooked beans
0.25 cups - lard or vegetable oil
1.0 teaspoon - coarse salt (I use Margarita salt)
1.0 clove - garlic, peeled and finely diced
0.5 - medium onion, chopped
0.5 - mild green chile (Anaheim or poblano), seeded and chopped
0.5 - jalepeno, ripe if available, seeded and finely diced
1.0 - serrano, thinly sliced
to taste - chile powder or chile powder blend
as needed - bean broth for thinner consistency if desired
garnish - salsa, chopped onions and/or fresh chiles, shredded cheese, sour cream...

Sprinkle salt over diced garlic and thoroughly mash with the back of a dinner fork. Heat lard or oil in a heavy skillet and saute onion and chiles until soft. Remove with a slot spoon and set aside. Heat the lard or oil to a "just before smoking" temperature, add garlic, and stir. Add beans one cup at a time, mashing each cup of beans before adding another cup. Add sauted onions and chiles, reduce heat, and let the beans cook down until they become fairly thick -- thick enough to stick to a serving spoon without pouring off. As the beans cook down, stir frequently to prevent sticking and burning. If the beans become too dry, add back a little of the bean broth. Serve as a side dish with garnish to taste or slightly thinned with broth as a dip for tostaditas.

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