It’s been a while since I cooked a pot of beans but since I was having friends over for a fiesta-themed meal, I decided to pull out all the stops. Sure, you can always use canned beans as a side dish, but home-cooked beans are so much better! This recipe comes from chef Rick Bayless, an expert on Mexican cooking.

I chose to make pinto beans but you could use red beans, black beans or white navy beans. The recipe says not to use garbonzos, lentils or favas, though. I started with cooking a few pieces of bacon (which I reserved for another use) then used the bacon drippings for the beans. A chopped onion and a few quarts of water and the beans were ready for a few hours of simmering in a dutch oven on the stove. Once the beans were tender, I seasoned with salt, let them cool then refrigerated for use the following day.

I rewarmed the beans in a saucepan, added a 1/2 can of drained fire-roasted tomatoes and seasoned with a little more salt. The delicious pinto beans had a creamy texture, and were inexpensive and super easy to make.

Home-Cooked Beans (Stovetop, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker)
Frijoles de la Olla Tradicional o Moderna
-recipe from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

My favorite beans are the ones that have gently bobbed about for hours in the slow-cooker—it keeps the liquid at jsut the right temperature for tender, creamy, intact morsels of earthy-sweet goodness. But the stovetop offers the same, if you keep the temperature low enough, use a heavy pot (preferably made of Mexican earthenware) and stir the beans from time to time. Or, if you’re in a hurry (and making fried beans and don’t care if the beans remain whole), you can fire up the pressure cooker. Many cooks in southern and Gulf-coastal Mexico match the rustic flavor of their beloved black beans with resiny epazote or anisey avocado leaves (hojas de aguacate); but not all cooks do, which means you can feel free to add one of them or not.

Makes 7 to 8 cups.

1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) dried beans (any Phaseolus bean will work, from white navies to reds and blacks —I’m not talking about lentils, garbonzos or favas here)
2 tablespoons rich-tasting fresh pork lard, vegetable oil or bacon drippings
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
1 large sprig fresh epazote or 2 fresh or dried avocado leaves if cooking black beans (optional)
Salt

Spread the beans on a baking sheet and check for stones, dirt clods or anything else you wouldn’t like to eat. Scoop into a colander and rinse. If using a slow-cooker, first pour the beans into a medium-large pot, pour in 2 quarts of water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat; then pour into the slow-cooker. For stove-top, pour the beans into a medium-large (4- to 6-quart) pot or a pressure cooker. Pour 2 1/2 quarts water into the pot or 2 quarts into the pressure cooker. Add the lard (or oil or bacon drippings), onion and, if using, the epazote or avocado leaves. (For best flavor, lightly toast the avocado leaves in a dry skillet.)

For the slow-cooker, allow at least 6 hours on high for the beans to become tender, though you can leave them cooking for up to 10 hours. For the pot, bring to a boil on high, then partially cover (unless you’re using an earthenware Mexican bean pot) and reduce the temperature to low (the liquid should show a barely discernible simmering movement); the beans should be tender in 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the variety and their freshness. You may need to replenish some of the water during stovetop cooking to keep the beans floating freely. For the pressure cooker, follow the directions that came with your model; in mine, cooking takes 25 minutes.

When the beans are tender, stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and simmer for a few minutes longer. Taste and season with additional salt if you think the beans need it. Remove the epazote or avocado leaves, if using, and the brothy beans are ready.

To Soak or Not: Mexican cooks don’t soak beans because they know that throwing out the soaking liquid isn’t a very good idea. It doesn’t do much to make them more digestible (only a steady diet of beans helps with that), and it makes the beans turn out pale in color and flavor.

TURNING A POT OF BEANS INTO DINNER: Cut 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of boneless pork shoulder roast into 1-inch cubes. Spread on a baking sheet and slide close up under a hot broiler. In about 5 minutes, when the meat is brown, turn over and brown the other side. Transer to a slow-cooker or large pot. Prepare the recipe as described, with the addition of the meat. Serve in deep bowls with salsa, a salad and warm tortillas.

Tags: beans, frijoles, home-cooked, Mexican, pinto beans, pressure cooker, Rick Bayless, slow cooker, stove-top

The other day I was in one of those “what am I going to make for dinner” quandaries. I knew I wanted to use some fresh corn I had on hand and I was NOT going to make a special trip to the store for any dinner ingredients. After a quick inventory of what I had in the pantry/fridge and a quick recipe search, I decided to make Mexican Chicken Soup. Now I know that September isn’t quite soup weather but, hey, we live in the Pacific Northwest and it was overcast and rainy on this particular day. Soup was definitely going to be on the menu!

Not only is this Mexican Chicken Soup hearty and filling, but it’s easy and can be made with ingredients you keep stocked up on (beans, frozen corn, chicken broth, etc). I love the smoky flavor that the chipotle chiles bring to the broth. Mmmm, it’s so good! My soup was fairly spicy which could’ve been due to the size and/or heat of the jalepeno chile I used. If you prefer a milder soup, leave out the jalepeno chile entirely and just use some of the canned chipotle chile and the adobo sauce it is packed in. I didn’t have kidney beans so I used a can each of black beans and pinto beans. For the garnish, I simply topped each bowl of soup with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. The avocado and jack cheese would be delicious, too, but don’t sweat it if you don’t have it. 

Mexican Chicken Soup
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Mexican chicken soup is a thicker, richer, spicier rendition of everybody’s favorite soup. Beans, corn, tomatoes, and chiles all play a role. Garnish the soup with avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, and cilantro. You can temper the heat of this spicy soup by reducing the amount of adobo sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 large onion , quartered
4 cloves garlic , peeled
10 sprigs cilantro
Table salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice , drained, with juice reserved
1/2 jalapeno chile , seeds and ribs removed
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce plus 1 tablespoon sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 (14-ounce) cans kidney beans , drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lime juice

Bring 4 cups broth, chicken, 2 onion quarters, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil in large skillet over high heat. Cover and cook over low heat until chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate.

Puree tomatoes, remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, jalapeño, chipotle, and adobo sauce in blender until smooth.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add tomato mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook until darkened in color, 8 to10 minutes. Strain broth directly into pot with tomato puree (discard solids). Add remaining 2 cups broth, reserved tomato juice, corn, and beans and simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Shred or dice chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to soup. Stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Test Kitchen Discoveries
•Use boneless and skinless chicken thighs, which are far moister and richer flavored than white breast meat.
•Poaching the chicken in canned chicken broth will enrich the broth and make it taste homemade.
•For authentic flavor, “fry” the pureed tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chiles until the flavor and color have intensified. Most Mexican sauces are prepared in this fashion.
•Smoky chipotle chiles add both heat and a rich flavor to the casserole. These chiles, which are smoked jalapeños, come packed in a tomato-based adobo sauce. Small cans of the chiles are found in the Mexican foods section of most supermarkets.

Tags: beans, chipotle chile, cilantro, corn, Mexican Chicken Soup, tomatoes

Chili is a great for entertaining because it can be made ahead of time and reheated, and it’s an easy dish to serve when feeding a crowd. I decided to make this White Bean Chicken Chili recently when I was hankering for chili but wanted to try out something new. 

I pretty much followed the recipe except for omitting the aniseed (didn’t have it), adding more cumin, and substituting more chicken broth for the reserved bean liquid. I think I added a bit too much broth because it was a little soupier than chili normally is (oops). The recipe calls for whipping cream (aka heavy cream…not the sweetened variety) which is something you don’t normally see in chili. The combination of flavors were great…slightly creamy, slightly spicy and a great change from the typical versions made with tomatoes and chili powder. This recipe could easily be doubled or tripled. And, as an added bonus, it’s a cinch to make. What more can you ask for?

White Bean Chicken Chili
- recipe from Bon Appétit

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons corn oil
1 large onion,chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon aniseed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 7-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 cup whipping cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, aniseed and dried red pepper. Sauté 5 minutes. Push onion to 1 side of pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sauté chicken approximately 5 minutes.

Drain beans; reserve 1/2 cup bean liquid. Add beans, broth, chilies, cream and reserved bean liquid to chicken. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.) Ladle chili into bowls. Top with cheese and sprinkle with cilantro.

Tags: beans, Chicken, chili

This chili is always a crowd-pleaser! It’s not uncommon for people to ask for seconds and thirds of this chili. Knowing that, I made an enormous vat of it to feed 75 people for Husband’s birthday last year…now that’s a lot of chili!!! For the beer in this recipe, I like to use a stout (like Murphy’s or Guinness) because it has a rich, chocolaty taste. I substitute beef broth for the chicken broth, and I use a can each of pinto, black and kidney beans instead of the prepared chili beans. When I’m feeling especially saucy then I add some diced green chiles and/or frozen corn at the end of the cooking time (so the corn doesn’t get too mushy). If you like it spicier, add 1 or 2 chopped chipotle chiles. Be sure to serve the chili with plenty of cornbread and the usual chili fixin’s: shredded cheese, chopped onions and sour cream. Beano would make a nice side dish.

Halftime Chili
Bon Appétit | January 1996

A winner in the Bon Appétit Recipes Sweepstakes, a reader poll conducted in honor of their 50th anniversary.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 pounds ground chuck
5 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
1 12-ounce bottle beer
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 15- to 16-ounce can prepared chili beans
 
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add chuck and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano and thyme. Stir 2 minutes. Mix in crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, beer and tomato paste. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Mix in beans. Simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)

Tags: beans, Beef, beer, chili