I'm looking for a recipe or tips on how to make really good (sans animal) pinto or black beans. We eat beans several times a week, but I still feel like the beans we make are kind of blah. I usually add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and a can of tomatoes with diced chilis, and some salt. I just can't make it happen like the native Texans. My ex-housemate claims its all about leaving out the cumin and adding a lot of olive oil. Opinions?
Early Retirement Extreme Forums » DIY Skills Questions
Tell Me Your Bean Secrets
(7 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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You might want to check this thread also.
"Has Anyone Mastered Cooking Beans?"
http://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/topic.php?id=517Posted 1 year ago # -
It's all about cooking them just the right amount. This is hard in a pressure cooker and easy in a slow cooker. The most optimal is to precook them under pressure and then switch to simmering until they're appropriately tender.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think the secret ingredient you're missing is added fat. Your list of ingredients are all low-fat vegetables or spices. Traditional bean recipes such as refried beans or red beans and rice usually involve quite a lot of lard or bacon grease. Since you want a vegetarian recipe you could try some kind of vegetable oil, as your ex-housemate suggested.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We make our own re-fried beans (both pinto and black). If you get the right texture, you don't need fat. The only way we've been able to achieve the best texture is in a pressure cooker, followed by simmering down in a regular pan, just as Jacob suggested. I wouldn't add cumin. We use a bit of taco seasoning, a whole onion(sweated), and oregano.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think pinto beans in a slow cooker with no spices at all works best. This allows them to be much more versatile if you're making a large batch and want to eat them for multiple meals. For instance, you can cook them with some bullion, onions, garlic, bay leaf, but then you're stuck with that all week. Better to make them plain and each day add different ingredients to them to mix it up. For instance, you can mash them on tortillas one day, rinse them for a salad topping the next, and make a taco soup or a bean dip all from the same pot! That's not going to work so great if you originally cooked them with a bunch of spices and chunky veggies. If you want to add fat, cheese, sour cream, or yogurt work great.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Its not quite as healthy but a little molasses can help. Try classic baked beans for pintos or for black beans
http://content.markbittman.com/recipes/espresso-black-bean-chili
Posted 1 year ago #
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