Ingredients:

• 500 Grams Pinto Beans, debris removed and rinsed
• 1 Whole Chicken, cut into separate pieces (keep the feet – they add nice flavor to the soup)
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 7 Cups Chicken Stock (you can substitute chicken bouillon powder in hot water)
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 3 Celery Stalks, chopped
• 1 Habanero Chile Pepper, stem removed, seeded and minced
• 2 Serrano Chile Peppers, stems removed and minced
• 2 Poblano Chile Peppers
• 2 Dried Bay Leaves
• 1/2 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper
• Salt, to taste

Garnish, optional:

• Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• Shredded Manchego or Mozzarella Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• Warm Corn Tortillas

Directions:

If desired, soak the pinto beans overnight and drain.

In a pot set over medium-high heat, add the oil and butter. When hot, add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides. (Don’t be surprised by the yellow color of this meat. Most Mexico-raised chicken has a yellow hue due to the chicken feed.)

Transfer the chicken to a slow-cooker (Crock Pot) and add the chicken stock and pinto beans.

In the same pot used to brown the chicken, sauté the onion until tender.

Pour the onion and browned butter into the slow-cooker. Add the celery, habanero, and serrano chiles.

To roast the poblano chiles, set them over a stove burner or under the broiler.

When the skins are blackened on one side, flip and roast them until the skin is blackened on all sides.

Set poblano chiles aside and allow to cool. Then cut the chiles lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds, and blackened skin.

Chop the chiles and add them to the slow cooker, along with the bay leaves, cumin, cloves, and white pepper.

Cover and cook on high for about 2 and 1/2 hours.

Remove the chicken pieces and allow to cool. Discard the chicken feet. Continue cooking the beans on high in the covered slow-cooker.

Remove the chicken from the bones and break the meat up into smaller pieces.

Add the chicken back to the slow-cooker.

Continue cooking on high, covered. If you didn’t pre-soak the beans, it will probably take another hour to an hour and a half for the beans to soften.

When ready to serve, garnish with cilantro, lime juice, cheese, sour cream, and avocado, as desired. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Enjoy!

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• About 3 Cups Cooked Bayo Beans with their broth (see recipe below) (canned beans may be substituted)
• 4 Pasilla Chile Peppers, stems removed
• 2/3 Cup Chicken Broth
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 Pound Oaxaca Cheese (Mozzarella or Manchego can also be used)
• 1/2 Pound Queso Fresco (Farmer’s Cheese can be substituted)
• 2 Avocados
• 12 to 16 Corn Tortillas
• Vegetable Oil, for frying

Directions:

Cut the onion in half. Place one half in a blender along with the garlic, beans, chile peppers, and chicken broth. Purée until smooth. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add one to two tablespoons of oil. Pour the bean sauce into the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes. Salt to taste. Turn off the burner, but keep the sauce warm.

Slice the other half of the onion into rings, shred the Oaxaca cheese, crumble the Queso Fresco, and pit and slice the avocados.

In a large frying pan, add about 1/4 cup oil and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add a tortilla and fry about 30 seconds.

Flip tortilla and spread some shredded Oaxaca cheese over half of the tortilla. Fry another 30 seconds.

Transfer to the warm bean sauce.

Fold the tortilla in half, and thoroughly coat it in the bean sauce.

Transfer to a plate and repeat steps with the remaining tortillas, keeping the enfrijoladas warm.

Serve the enfrijoladas immediately, garnished with the Queso Fresco, onion, and avocado.

Note: As an option, you can also fill the enfrijoladas with cooked, shredded chicken.

For the Bayo Beans:

Ingredients:

• 1 Kilo Bayo Beans, picked clean of debris, rinsed, and soaked in cold water overnight
• 1 Onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Serrano Chile Peppers, diced
• 100 to 150 Grams Lard
• 2 Teaspoons Powdered Cumin
• 1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon Powder
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

Drain the soaked beans. Place them in a large pot set over high heat, and fill with fresh water to about one inch above the beans. Bring to a boil. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, lard, cumin, and bouillon powder.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 2 hours, stirring from time to time and checking to make sure the water still covers the beans. Add salt to taste and continue simmering until beans are soft, another 30 minutes to an hour.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. You’re only going to use about 3 cups of the beans in their broth for the enfrijoladas. Use the remaining beans as a side dish to any of our main dishes, like carne asada or chiles rellenos. Also, be sure to freeze some beans for another time when you want to make enfrijoladas quickly.

¡Buen Provecho!

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Bayo Beans, sorted and rinsed
• 1/4-1/2 pound Bacon Strips
• 5 Large Green Onions or 1 Medium White Onion, diced
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1-2 Habanero Chile Peppers, minced
• Water (enough to cover beans while cooking)
• 2 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

In a large pot set over medium-high heat, fry bacon strips until done. Transfer bacon to a plate. When cool, cut the strips into about 1-inch pieces.

In the pot with the hot bacon grease, sauté  the onion, garlic, and pepper over medium heat until tender.

Add the beans and enough water to cover them.

Turn the heat up to high and add the bacon pieces, chicken bouillon, cumin, and black pepper, stirring to combine.

Once the beans begin to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are soft. Be sure to stir periodically, adding water if needed.

When beans are tender, add salt as desired.

Serve  as a side dish to any entrée, and don’t forget it’s an important part of our Mexican Lasagna!

Recipe posted by Lindsay

Frijoles Negros (black beans) are an integral part of Mexican Cuisine, accompanying a wide variety of main dishes. The secret to great beans lies in adding Epazote. Epazote is also known as Mexican tea and wormseed, and many say that it’s an acquired taste. It’s a pungent, wild herb that has a strong, acidic, almost lemony flavor, which contributes to flavorful beans. The other bonus is Epazote is a carminative, meaning it reduces gas – obviously a benefit if you’re preparing beans!

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg Black Beans
• 1 Onion, quartered
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Serrano Chile Pepper, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin
• 2 Sprigs Epazote or 2 Tablespoons Dried Epazote*
• Salt to Taste

*Note: You can substitute 1/2 cup Cilantro for the Epazote if you can’t get it, although there’s nothing quite like Epazote.

Directions:

Wash beans and soak in water overnight.

Drain beans and put in a large pot. Add fresh water, the onion, garlic, bell pepper, chile, and cumin. Set over high heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 1 1/2 hours. Add the epazote. Simmer another 30 minutes, or until beans are tender. Remove the onion and epazote. Add salt to taste.

Serve as a side dish with anything from Carne Asada to Scrambled Eggs.

Posted by Lindsay

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg Dried Pinto Beans
• 250 g Pork Belly, 2 Smoked Ham Hocks, or 2 Smoked Pork Chops
• 4 Cloves Garlic, Whole
• 1 Large Onion, Chopped
• 6 Serrano or Jalapeño Chile Peppers, finely sliced (“nacho” style)
• 3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tomatillo, Chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Chicken Broth Bouillon (like “Knorr Suiza”)
• 6 Slices Bacon
• 1/2 Cup Chorizo, casing removed and crumbled*
• 250 g Ham, diced
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• Salt to Taste
• 1/2 Cup Cilantro, finely chopped

*Note: You can substitute hot Italian sausage for the Chorizo if you can’t get Chorizo in your area.

Directions:

Wash and soak beans in water overnight.

Drain beans, add fresh water, and bring to a boil in a large pot. Add the pork belly/smoked ham hocks/smoked pork chops and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer one hour. Remove the garlic and mash/mince it, returning it to the beans, if using pork belly or pork chops, remove and cut into smaller pieces and add back to the beans. Add onion, chile, pepper, tomatoes, tomatillo, and chicken bouillon and simmer another 1 1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender. Check at regular intervals to make sure there’s enough water.

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the ham and cook a few more minutes.

Add the mixture to the beans when the beans are fully cooked. Add salt to taste. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water, and then add to the beans. Let simmer another 15 minutes to thicken a bit. When ready to serve, top with a little finely chopped cilantro.

Posted by Lindsay