Featured Recipes

March 17, 2009, 10:54 pm

Basic Pinto Beans

My mother calls this her basic pinto bean recipe. The ingredients are easy to get, and the flavors are familiar. We are however in Southern California, so for us the familiar is Mexican flavors. If jalapenos and cilantro aren't your thing don't sweat it. Beans are so simple because they are essentially a blank slate, add the flavors you're familiar with and you're sure to have a winning dish.

Ingredients

• Pinto beans, 2 cups sorted and soaked (334 grams)
• Onion, 1 halved and peeled (240 grams)
• Garlic, 4 cloves minced (16 grams)
• Canned tomatoes, 15 ounces peeled, no salt (411 grams)
• Jalapeno chiles, 3 finely diced (62 grams) –use fewer if you don’t like heat
• Cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped (2 grams)
• Canola oil, 2 TB (26 grams)
• Water, 2 quarts

Preparation

Put beans in a pot with the 2 quarts of water and boil hard for 10 minutes. Skim off any foam (very important). Add the onion and garlic; lower heat and simmer for 45 min to 1 hr 15 min or until beans are soft. Remove the onion and garlic.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and their juice, chiles, cilantro, and minced garlic. While cooking, press down on the tomatoes to break them apart until they thicken into a sauce, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce to the beans and simmer another 15 minutes.

Serve with queso fresco (that great crumbly Mexican cheese) or feta, with a lime wedge and corn tortilla’s on the side.

Mom made this recipe without using salt, and I didn't even notice when I ate it. I only just learned of it tonight while writing this post. I believe the jalapenos helped, as did cooking the beans with the garlic and onion.

Makes 6 servings

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