Pinto beans

I did a bit of research on the pinto bean while contemplating today’s food writing blog entry. One source indicates it’s from the Spanish frijol pint or, literally, ‘spotted bean’. Another source indicated it means ‘painted’, which is my preferred definition because the bean is transformed from a white and brown bean to a reddish one when it’s cooked.

Either way, it’s a staple in Mexican cooking, which is why it rather surprised me to find it in Indian shops when I moved to Melbourne. In any case, since moving to the city, I hadn’t been able to find these little beauties so I was reconciling myself to a beanless future until a nice lady at the library annex near my home indicated she knew of a Mexican supply store on the corner of Johnston and Nicolson Streets in Fitzroy. I finally made it over there earlier this week and I was rapt to find what appeared to be the last bag. They’d better order more as I’ll be back!

As I write this blog post, my nose is being treated to the extravagant aroma of pinto beans cooking. Since I have another couple hours to wait until my stomach is rewarded for its patience, I thought I’d share my recipe.

Just so you know before you begin, I don’t really cook to a recipe in most cases, with the exception of baking basics as baking powder, baking soda and other raising elements are often not kind to the imprecise.

I cook by smell, taste and ‘feel’ more than anything, as many ‘home cooks’ do. While this can be frustrating to anyone trying to follow a recipe, I think it encourages the cooking creativity that leads to miraculous discoveries. My advice is to trust yourself and your palate. Everyone has recipe disasters, but I think that’s how you’ll grow as a cook and a person and, in turn, share your discoveries with others.

Create. Don’t just cook.

Ingredients

• diced onions (2 cups)
• bay leaves (approximately 4)
• extra virgin olive oil (approximately 4 Tbsp)
• spices to taste (but at least 2 tsp of each): paprika, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, white pepper, Himalayan sea salt (add this AFTER the beans are cooked or they will most likely remain hard until the end of time)
• parsley (at least 2 Tbsp)
• garlic (approximately 3 cloves)
• pinto beans (2 ½ cups)
• chicken stock (approximately 2 ½ cups)
• water (approximately 4 cups, but you can use chicken stock for all of the liquid for a richer taste; for a vegetarian dish; obviously only use water)
• smoked ham hocks (optional, especially for vegetarians *lol*)

Tip:

Bear in mind that beans increase in size two to threefold so use a large, preferably non-stick pan. I use a wok (smile), but a Dutch-oven would be great too.

Method

1. Wash your pinto beans with cold water. Discard any rocks (okay, I’ve never found one in two decades of cooking them, but I was taught to look!), half-open beans or other oddities. Some people like to soak their beans overnight as they cook faster, but I never liked this as the beans get a bit slimy and my theory is they might want to germinate. Maybe I read too many Jack and the Beanstalk stories, eh?
2. Sauté your onions until translucent, but do not let them colour.
3. Fry off your seasonings for approximately two minutes to release their flavours.
4. Add the washed and sorted beans to your now lovely smelling seasonings.
5. Add your chicken stock and water and bring to a rolling boil.
6. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for approximately two hours until the beans are tender and the liquid has thickened slightly. Bear in mind that once the beans are tender, if you add a bit of butter, the beans will ‘cream’ even further, i.e. the sauce will thicken a bit more and the butter gives another ‘level’ to the rich dish.
7. Once your beans are tender, add salt to taste. This will enhance the natural flavours. As I said before, don’t do this too early as your beans will not soften.

Tip:

Keep stirring while you’re cooking. I use a nice wooden spoon. Also, be prepared to add hot water along the way as the liquid reduces (and boy will it). Someone I know kept wondering why they had crispy beans on their hands. They simply didn’t realise that beans are thirsty and need all of that liquid to become plump and tender.

Serving Suggestions

I love to serve these beans with steamed basmati rice, but I also love cornbread. That recipe is from my lovely Grandmother!

Other ways to use them are to blend them with sour cream, milk and a bit of cheese to create homemade refried beans. You can use these as a side to Mexican dishes or as a base for delicious tostadas, burritos and souvlaki.

Souvlaki? Well, why not! This version has pinto beans and Colby cheese served with Greek yoghurt, sliced tomato and parsley.

OK, I think that about covers it … I just wish they’d hurry up already as I’m hungry! (Tango hambre!) And, please, for those of you who don’t know Spanish, don’t mix this up by saying ‘Tengo hombre!’ (I want a man! *lol*)

¡Olé!