Black Beans
Serves 4-8
This is a traditional pot of black beans with onions, garlic and Mexican herbs. It’s flexible, and a couple of smoked pork hocks added to the pot make it a full meal. A couple of whole jalapenos (with slits cut through them) works well in place of the chiles pequins (which can be hard to find).
In keeping with tradition, this recipe does not add salt until the beans are fully cooked (under the theory that it toughens the skin). I go back and forth about this. Doing it this way does produce slightly more tender beans in a shorter time, but salting the water at the beginning means that the beans will be seasoned inside and out.
Ingredients #
- 1 lb dried black beans
- 2 white onions, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tbsp lard or oil
- Salt as needed
- All or any of the following: 1 dried avocado leaf, 1 sprig of epazote, 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed dried chile pequins (to taste)
Instructions #
Rinse and pick through the beans. Place in a large heavy pot and cover with wter. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slight simmer. Skim off the foam that rises to the surface. When all foam has been removed, add the chopped onions and crushed garlic.
Simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender (about 2 hours), adding water as necessary to keep the beans barely covered. When the beans are tender, salt to taste and stir in the lard. Continue cooking until the beans are very tender and the broth is slightly thickened, adding the herbs and dried chiles in the last 30 minutes of cooking.