Chile Beans

 This was a recipe i've been wanting to add here foe some time. It's a New Mexico standard and we ate it at the 2025 Family Reunion. I compared and contrasted a bunch of online recipes and came up with this which is quite tasty.

Cook in crock pot. High for 6 hours or so. 

• 2 cups dry mixed beans (or just pinto beans)
• 3 cups water
• 2 tsp beef base
• 6 oz hamburger
• 3 cups beef broth
• ½ large yellow onion, peeled, whole

When the beans are soft, add these ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
• 1 1/2 Tbsp NM red chile powder (this has no oregano, onion or garlic. just ground dried chiles)
• 1/2 tsp dried celery flakes
• 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
• 1/4 tsp Whole Comino
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 oz Bourbon or brandy

• Salt when done, 1/2 tsp but taste and adjust

Cook on high for another 30 minutes until the flavors merge

Vegetarian New Mexico Pinto Beans

Use a large Crock Pot. This recipe makes a huge quantity of beans about 26 cups. They freeze well and you can microwave for leftovers. 

You can use the leftovers for refried beans but that’s another recipe.

Make sure there are no rocks in the beans and add the following. Do NOT add any salt at this time. 

• 4 lbs dried pinto beans (about 6 cups)
• Fill the Crock Pot with water and let the beans soak for 8 hours or so. The exact length is not critical. I do it overnight.

The beans will swell to the top of the pot.

When the time is over, pour off the water, rinse, pour it off and repeat until the water is clear. Remove as much water as will pour off.

Combine in the crock pot:

• Beans as soaked but with water removed
• 16 cups water

Cook on high. It will take a different length of time depending on the altitude where you are. I’m pretty low (400 feet).

You can measure the temperature using an instant read thermometer. It will slowly rise until it hits max for your altitude. Here it peaked at 210 degrees.

You know they are done when they taste right. Pinto beans taste chewy and slightly bitter until they are done at which time they become soft and tender and tasty. Its after the water hits peak temperature. Hard to tell you how long.

If you cook it too long it will get too soft.

At my house it takes 10 hours. Up in the Rocky Mountains it may take 16 hours. Be sure to keep testing them after about 8 hours until you like the taste and texture.

When they are done, add the following. 

• 1 stick of butter. Cut in chunks. 
• 1 tsp black ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp salt (or to taste)

Stir until butter melts. Turn off the heat and serve. 

Several things are good mixed in after cooking:

1. Pulled Pork
2. Beef Brisket
3. Mexican Rice
4. Sauted Onions
5. Cayenne Pepper
6. Chopped green chile

Pasta I Fagioli

A family favorite

Sauté in olive oil in a large saucepan:

• Medium Onion chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic crushed and chopped
• 1 stalk Celery thinly sliced at an angle (1/8 inch slice)
• 1 large Carrot thinly sliced at an angle

Add and brown:

• 1 lb Hamburger meat
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

Add

• Large can Crushed tomatoes 
• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 14 oz can of cooked Pinto beans (2 cups)

Simmer 15 min. Make sure the meat is done and then prepare according to package directions:

• 1 c pasta noodles a little underdone

Drain cooked pasta and add to the saucepan. Simmer a few minutes to meld the flavors.

Serve

Pork and Black Beans

I saw this recipe on TV done by Pati Jinich. I halfened it and figured out I like certain parts of the pig better than others. Always use fresh pork. Don’t use cured or smoked pork.

She also adds radishes, avocado and stuff when its done. I'm leaving this without the crunchy stuff because that's the way I like it.

This is a simple dish but the depth of flavor is quite surprising because of that.

4 servings

Rolling Simmer

Instructions

Get a large casserole or Dutch Oven that can be used on the stove top. Rinse the following

• 1 pound black beans

Drain the rinsing water. The beans are in the pot so add

• 3 liters water or broth or a mixture

Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium heat. Cook at a steady rolling simmer, with the lid slightly ajar, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile put in a cookie sheet or iron skillet

Pork waiting

• 2 pounds pork cut into 2" chunks as you can. I like half as pork ribs cut from a slab and the bones cut in two. Don’t leave too many together but cut between every other rib to separate. For the other half I also like a cut I get at my local Hispanic grocery, puerco com huesos, which is pork stew meat with bones. Pig’s feet sliced in half may even be better.

Cook this pork under a broiler until it starts to brown. If thawed 3-4 min per side. Turn and brown on the other side. For a treat, let some of the corners blacken. Take it out and let it set while the beans cook.

When the 45 minutes is up, incorporate the pork chunks into the pot with the beans. Two choices here with the rendered fat and pork juice. You can scrape it into the pot with the beans. Or you can deglaze with some wine, stir to unstick the tasty bits from the bottom and pour all that into the bean pot.

Add

• 1 white onion outer peel removed, and cut in half crosswise without cutting ends off
• 4 fresh epazote sprigs or 15 cilantro sprigs, tied with kitchen twine
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 c boiling water

Stir. Continue simmering for another hour and a half, partially covered, until the pork is completely cooked and tender, making sure the broth does not dry out. 

When the 1:30 is up turn off the heat. 

Taste for salt and add more if need be.

It is customary to serve along with warm corn or flour tortillas. This is good also with homemade crackers, corn bread or over rice.

BBQ Beans

A decade ago I learned part of this recipe from my friend Marvin. Marvin moved to Alaska but the recipe stayed with me. Recently, I made a change to use some elements of a barbecue sauce I got from another friend two decades ago. Here is the recipe as of today.

Saute on medium heat:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 6 oz bacon (or you can use ham)

When  the onion is clear but not brown, add

• 3 15-oz cans of Pork and Beans (quickly drained but not thoroughly, set the liquid aside)
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 c catsup
• 1/4 c bourbon (I use Jim Beam)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch celery flakes (or celery seeds)
• pinch cayenne pepper

Stir well as the mustard powder likes to clump. Avoid too high a heat as this will burn to the bottom of the pan. Add some of the liquid from the Pork 'n Beans if it needs thinning.

Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and serve.

Seven Layer Mexican Dip

Ingredients

What is it about with tortilla chips? Some people like the thin ones. Some people swear by the thick ones. Some people only like the white corn. However you like the chips, serve this with your favorite tortilla chips.

Oh, and the title calls this "Seven Layer ..." but its sort of hard to tell how many layers there are the way I make it. For example, the typical recipe calls for guacamole but I prefer to sort of construct this from avocados and stuff in place. Does that make one layer or three? But if you take the "Seven" metaphorically, it all comes out fine.

On a large plate (14 inches) or a large casserole dish you spread these layers:

Layer 1 - beans and chile

Beans, Chile, Onion and Avocado

• 20.5 oz can refried Black Beans - The first layer is formed by spreading the can of refried beans evenly across the plate. (I saw some recipes where the beans were mixed with sauteed shallots or onions and green chile before cooling and spreading on the plate. I didn't try it, but it sounds good even though it adds a lot of work.)
• small can green chile, chopped - sprinkle the bits of chile around over the beans. You can use more than one can or use 1/3 cup of the frozen chopped green chiles available some places. In the pictures, I used a jar of Poblano chile strips chopped up.

Layer 2 - guacamole (sort of)

• 1 Tbsp finely chopped red onion - Spread around over the beans.
• 2 Med or Large Avocados - Cut in half, remove the seed, peel and chop coarsely. Then spread this around over the beans.
• ground paprika - sprinkle a dusting over the avocado
• salt - sprinkle a bit over the avocado
• 2 Tbsp Lemon juice - drizzle this as evenly as possible over the avocado and then spread the avocados around to even them up 

Layer 3 - taco dip

•  1 cup sour cream - put this in a small mixing bowl or large measuring cup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise -  stir in
• 1 Tbsp powdered New Mexico red chile - This is not the typical "chili powder" which is a mixture of red chile powder, garlic, cumin and such. If you must use that, put a bit more and remove the garlic powder.
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp Mexican oregano flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Note that I really use whole cumin and black pepper and put all the dry spices in my spice grinder and pulverize them. It's fresher. But you can use the already ground spices too.

Stir this together until mixed evenly. It should have a light, brick red tint. Then spread it carefully over the avocado mixture in layer 2.

Layer 4 - Cheese

Taco Dip and Cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese - sprinkle evenly over the top
• 5 oz Cotija cheese, well crumbled - sprinkle over the top. This is a crumbly Mexican variety of cheese with a tangy flavor. Substitute half Feta and half cheddar or just double the mozzarella if you don't have it available.

Layer 5, 6 and 7 - vegetables

•  6 oz can sliced black olives, drained thoroughly - disperse evenly over the top.
• 2 or 3 medium tomatoes chopped coarsely - sprinkle with salt and pepper, let set for a minute or two, drain off the liquid and then spread evenly, again, over the top
• 1 bunch green onion tops, chopped - spread artfully over the top

You can serve this immediately. Or you can put a wet paper towel over the top, seal it in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for up to a few hours. Leave it too long and the avocados start to darken while the tomatoes wilt and give up their liquid.

Serve with tortilla chips (of your own choosing).

Beans (the sequel)

Last year, I put my bean recipe in and suggested I might expand on it later. It's later.

Here is the original Beans  recipe from Aug 2011, so follow that recipe until you have them mostly cooked.

This doesn't work if you put the beans on to cook in the morning and head off to work. You have to be able to doctor the pot about two hours before you are ready to eat. Here's what you add for 2 cups of dry beans (when you started):

• 3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion (or substitute yellow or white onion)
• 1/2 c chopped green chile (better if you don't use the mild, canned ones)
• 1 - 16 oz can whole stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper (or black pepper)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Feel free to estimate those quantities as it doesn't matter much as long as you are close to what's listed.

Stir well and finish the last 2 hours of cooking on high.

I still don't put any salt in the beans. Sometimes they get some from the meat. It's hard to tell how much to add. Most people like to salt their own beans the way they like it. Mostly, these have enough flavor that nobody misses the salt.

Beans

We call these "beans" because they are mostly just beans. Having all different types makes for a wonderful texture of soft, firm and totally dissolved bean bits when they are done.

Ahead of time, mix a bunch of dried beans together, thoroughly stir together and store in jars, sealed. I buy the plastic bags of dried beans that seem to be either 12 oz or 1 lb. Use one part of each of these types, available at ordinary grocery stores or any of the various ethnic groceries around town. (You can use 2 parts pinto beans if you want.) Note that following these directions exactly with 16 oz packages will give you 10 pounds of dried beans which is enough for 2 years at our house. Seal well and they keep for many years or keep in the freezer if you are paranoid.

• Small Navy beans (white)
• Great Northern beans
• Garbanzo beans
• Black beans (small)
• Pinto beans
• Kidney beans (brown)
• Black-eyed peas
• Green split peas
• Brown Lentils

I have also, on occasion included "pink beans", "anasazi beans" and "lima beans" but don't much care for the Lima's in this mixture.

If you want to cook them you have to start out the night before. Measure out 2-3 cups of dried bean mixture. (2 cups serves 3 people a full meal.) This comes out just right for my small oval Rival Crock Pot. 4-5 cups works better for the large oval Crock Pot. Note that a Crock Pot seems to be a brand name for a slow cooker. Mine is old and has off, low and high settings and no timer.

You can accomplish the same thing without a slow cooker with a large pan and an oven. Set the oven on 260 degrees F when it's time to cook. This also heats up the house (good in winter--bad in summer.) and it uses more electricity.

Put the beans in the crock pot. Be sure to check for small rocks or dirt clods before adding the water in the next step. Depending on the brands of beans you may have none. You still need to check.

Soak the beans all night. Add enough water to cover the beans and still cover them when they double in size. So, for example, if you notice there is 3/4 inch of beans in the bottom of the pot, add 3 times 3/4 inch (9/4 inch) which is a bit over 2 inches of water. This isn't rocket science so just be sure the beans don't swell up and poke out of the water by morning.

In the morning, pour off the water. Rinse the beans repeatedly until the water runs clear. At first the water will be cloudy or brownish.

Then you will need to add some meat for flavor. Toss this in the crock pot. I don't know if it matters but I always push the meat down under the beans.

3 spare ribs, browned in a skillet with a Tbsp of oil

Alternatives that don't need browning are 2 ham hocks, a pound and a half of smoked pork neck bones or a piece of ham the size of your fist (chop the ham in 1 inch squares). A pound of bacon works too but isn't near as good while costing more. These alternatives all have a lot of salt in them (which is why I prefer the spare ribs). Meat with bones tastes better in this disk than meat without bones.

Cover with water, chicken stock or a combination. The water needs to cover the beans and meat completely. Account for loss while cooking unless you are going to be around the whole time to add more water if it cooks down. (In the vegetarian version of this, leave out the meat but add vegetable broth and no water.) Not much smells worse than coming home after a day a work to burned beans.

Turn on the crock pot. Set on high. Leave alone for 10 hours. I'm at about 1000 ft above sea level. You will need to cook longer at high altitudes.(Say, above 4000 feet.) It might cook faster at sea level but I've never tried it.

Notice that I don't put any salt or spices or acidic things like tomatoes, citrus or vinegar in the beans. I have found that leaving these out while cooking give the beans a better texture. You can add such things to your beans before cooking but you may need to cook them longer or at a higher temperature. (In another recipe, someday, I may explain how to add sauteed onions and green chile halfway through and white pepper, chopped fresh cilantro and whole stewed tomatoes the last hour. Or maybe not.)

When it is done, the pinto beans will be soft, as will the kidney, navy and black beans. The garbanzos will be firm (al dente, so to speak). The lentils and split beans will have totally disappeared but they make the soupy part taste good and thicken it. I like to sort of antagonize the meat at this point as it will fall to bits and mix tantalizingly with the beans.

Spoon some out into a bowl. Some people like more liquid. Some like less. This is especially good with corn bread, rice or homemade bread. Each person can sprinkle to taste with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.