FRIJOLES DE LA OLLA

[nverland]

FRIJOLES DE LA OLLA
PREP TIME 15 mins COOK TIME 2 hours 30 mins TOTAL TIME 2 hours 45 mins
Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS
1 pound of beans (pintos, black beans, flor de mayo, flor de junio)
½ white onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 fresh epazote leaves or ½ teaspoon dried epazote
1 teaspoon of salt (add more to taste if required)

INSTRUCTIONS
Check the beans for any stones or debris.
In a colander, rinse the beans under cold water.
Place the beans in the cooking pot and cover with 3 inches of water.
Allow the beans to soak overnight.
Discard the soaking water.
Add cold water to cover the beans by 4 inches.
Add the ½ white onion and 2 cloves of garlic.
Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer the beans for 2 hours.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
Simmer for 30 more minutes.
Taste the beans to verify that they are fully cooked and soft. If they are not soft enough cook for additional 30 minutes.
Adjust the salt to taste and serve.

NOTES
Cooking time is approximate. Some beans need more time to fully cook and others need less.

A slow cooker or pressure cooker are a great ways to cook beans.

Beans will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze them but it will change the texture.

Buy your beans from a market that sells lots of beans. Fresh is better. The older the beans the tougher they will be.

Substitutions
You make frijoles de la olla with pinto beans, black beans, flor de mayo or flor de junio beans.

If you can't find epazote you can omit it or substitute Mexican oregano. The oregano changes the taste slightly