Everyone loves the mystery of a good magic trick. It’s so exciting to watch the seemingly impossible become possible right in front of our eyes. Sure, we all know there’s some behind the back, slight of hand something or rather going on but who cares it feels real.
This week’s recipe was something of a magic trick revealed to me a long time ago by my old boss Willy. Unlike the spoiler “magic revealed” shows, I felt not spoiled, but totally blessed by this piece of gold Willy gave me at one of our company picnics.
I’ve always been amazed by the velvety smooth burst in your mouth pinto beans you get at your favorite taqueria. So when I asked Willy what he puts in his beans to make them taste so good, he leaned in like he was giving me a hot tip on a horse race and said… nothing. Nothing! I said, yup he replied just water and salt at the end. He said if you salt the water in the beginning the skins get tough and we don’t want that. Damn, I felt like I was back stage watching everything the magician was doing behind the scenes. I couldn’t wait to get home and try it.
And this is it folks, nothing but water and salt at the end. You’re gonna love how easy this is! Let’s cook
Frijoles
- 2 cups dried pinto beans
- Filtered water
- Salt
Method
Overnight soak – 90 minute cooking time
- Sort through dried beans to remove any small rocks or debris
- Rinse beans in cold water
- Put rinsed beans in a large bowl and cover with filtered water 2″ above the beans. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on counter over night
- The next day drain the beans and rinse until the water runs clear. If you’re going to cook them later keep the rinsed beans in the fridge until ready to cook
- Overnight the beans will release some of their lectins. Lectins are what make legumes hard for some people to digest so soaking them first makes them a bit easier on the tummy
- Put the beans in a large pot and cover with water about 2″ above the beans
- Bring to a boil over medium heat then cover and simmer on medium low for 30 minutes
- Stir the beans then cover and cook 30 minutes more
- At this point the beans should be starting to get soft. This is when you add salt. If you were to add salt in the beginning it would cause the skins to be tough and we want velvety soft beans. Add enough salt to the beans so that the broth is seasoned to your liking, about what you want a soup broth to be. Cover and cook for a final 30 minutes
- That’s it! Served them up with your favorite tortillas. Enjoy
