You can use any variety of beans you like: Black, Pinto, Peruvian, Flor de Mayo, etc.
At home we prefer to eat black beans. These black beans cooked in a pressure cooker or in a clay pot are very tasty, very nutritious. In the earthenware jar they take longer but it is well worth it. Nowadays, many housewives buy canned beans, but they never compare to a plate of beans freshly made at home. Try them, it’s worth investing a little time to cook them for your family. Beans are very nutritious and combined with rice, or corn, (Tortillas, Chochoyotes) covers the requirements for a complete meal.
One cup of raw beans, yields 3 cups of cooked beans approx.
Ingredients:
1 kg of black beans (free of pebbles and washed several times) Water.
1 teaspoon of grain salt
Half a small onion
1 clove of garlic
Additional water from a jug
Olive oil
Disinfected epazote or fresh cilantro sprigs
6 liter pressure cooker or large earthenware jar with lid.
Preparation:
Wash the beans several times changing the water, drain before soaking.
At night put the beans in a plastic, glass or pewter container with water from a bottle that covers them, salt, a good piece of onion and 1 clove of garlic. The beans will absorb almost all the water.
The next day you put them in the pressure cooker, with all the soaking water and more water to cover them, 35 to 40 minutes from the time they are under pressure. Check the instructions of your cooker, mine is Presto. (If you don’t soak them it takes 50-60 minutes with pressure) When the pressure drops, open the pot and bring it to a boil without the lid. Add water if needed, taste them, adjust the salt, add a good splash of olive oil and the epazote branches chopped with your hands (I leave a few whole leaves). Let it boil over low heat for 10 minutes.
If you make them in the earthenware jar, (wet the jar all over before using it); it is the same procedure, but do not add salt, until they are cooked. They take longer to cook, you have to keep an eye on them and always add hot water as many times as necessary.
In the jar they taste different, they are very tasty. Whether in a pressure cooker or in a jar, beans are very tasty and nutritious and combined with rice or corn tortillas they are a very complete food.
Serve them with rice or freshly made tortillas. Also add chochoyotes (or chochoyones) to the already cooked beans, so that they cook in the broth, they are a real treat.
Chochoyotes or chochoyones (corn dough balls with lard, salt, and chopped epazote).
Stir the nixtamalized corn dough with a little pork lard (or chicharrones).
You can use olive oil, salt and chopped epazote. Form bite-size balls and make an indentation with your little finger.
These are my beans for Sunday lunch today. Freshly made, with chopped onion and cilantro and queso fresco.
Freshly made corn tortillas. We also use Pico de gallo sauce to serve these beans.
ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE POT BEANS:
Follow the steps from the beginning…You need half a chopped onion.
- Cook the beans in the pressure cooker, with the soaking water and more water to cover them enough to cook for 35-40 minutes over medium heat. After 20 minutes change the heat to low.
- When the 35-40 minutes are up, (check your cooker instructions for times) let the pressure drop on its own. Open the pot and put it back on the heat. Add the epazote sprigs.
- In a small saucepan or skillet heat olive or cooking oil (or lard) and add the chopped onion and cook until it turns brown.
- Transfer the onion to the blender along with its oil and a cup or two cups of beans with some broth. Blend. (You can do this in a glass with the immersion blender). Return the blended beans to the pot and boil until slightly thickened. Rectify the seasoning. Add salt if needed and turn off the heat. Ready.
If you want Refried Beans: Grind the beans thus prepared. Fry finely chopped onion in hot oil or lard until golden brown and add the beans. Fry and refry them, let them dry and form the “molote”. Ready.
Suggestions: Add diced chorizo or bacon to fry well before the beans.
Sunday Lunch: Stewed black beans, golden fried bacon, fried bacon, fried egg, sauces to taste, freshly made corn tortillas.