Cowboy Beans

If I could, I would adopt Robb Walsh.  He has the best recipes and his cookbooks are killers with their good food and colorful research.   It’s been cool and rain was predicted for the next two days…close to flooding.  So, because Tex-Mex food is always hovering on the fringes of my mind, I immediately thought that beans would be a good dish to have and would fit nicely with some warm tortillas.   So, I went to my trusty Robb Walsh cookbook, the Tex-Mex Cookbook and found this recipe.  It’s feel good food.

Mi Tierra’s Frijoles Churros (Cowboy Beans)

1 tsp. lard or vegetable oil
4 slices bacon, minced
½ onion, chopped
 2 fresh jalapeno or Serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups Frijoles and bean broth (See below)
1 Tbls. salt, or to taste
½ tsp. ground cumin
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil and fry the bacon and onion together in a skillet over high heat until the onion is golden.

Add the chiles and garlic and continue cooking for a minute more, or until the chiles are softened.

Stir the cooked mixture into a soup pot or crockpot containing the frijoles.  (Include the bacon grease if desired.) 

Add the salt and cumin and simmer for 10 minutes or more to combine the flavors.

Serve in a bowl and garnish with cilantro.

Makes 6 cups

Frijoles
2 cups dried pinto beans (1 lb.)

Sort the beans to remove any stones or grit and rinse in a colander.  Place the beans in a pot with 8 cups water, bring to a boil, and cook on low heat for 6 hours or until tender.  Stir a few times so that the beans cook evenly and don’t burn.  Add water as necessary.  Cooked beans will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To Cook in a Crockpot: Cook for 2 hours on high and 6 hours on low heat.  Add water as necessary.

Makes 6 cups cooked beans and 4 cups bean broth.

NOTE:  Robb recommends cooking beans slowly for tenderness without burning and says the easiest way to do this is in a crockpot.  I can back that statement up.  I prefer crockpot cooking for many reasons…and this is just one of them.  This recipe allows the true flavor of the beans to shine.  Oh, and in my opinion, you can never have too much cilantro with your beans!