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Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 120 Minutes |
Ready In: 135 Minutes Servings: 12 |
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This is my take on pinto beans served at a popular Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas, and they are an inexpensive dish to serve guests at a dinner party. You can soak the beans overnight before cooking them, or try the quick method listed in the instructions. Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs dry pinto beans |
3/4 lb hickory smoked bacon |
2 cups roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped |
1 cup chopped onion |
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves |
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic |
1 tablespoon cumin powder |
1 tablespoon chili powder (not a blend) |
1 1/2 tablespoons salt |
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper |
4 cups water |
8 cups water |
Directions:
1. Wash and clean the beans, then bring them to a boil in 4 cups of water.
2. Cook them for 2 minutes, remove from the stove, cover and let them sit for an hour.
3. In a skillet, toast the cumin and chile powder over a medium high heat until they become fragrant (takes seconds).
4. Put the spices aside and rinse the skillet.
5. Cook the bacon in the skillet, saving the fat.
6. Remove the bacon and add the onions and garlic, and saute them for a minute.
7. Seed and chop the tomatoes and chop the bacon.
8. When the beans have soaked an hour, drain them, and add 8 cups of fresh water and all the other ingredients, except the salt.
9. Bring the beans to a boil, cover, cut the heat to low, and simmer them for about an hour.
10. Remove the lid and check to see there's enough water, which should be about an inch above the beans and stay that way, then add the salt.
11. Add more water if necessary.
12. Start checking the beans every 15 minutes for doneness.
13. To thicken the liquid, reduce it by cooking longer, or mash some of the beans.
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