Foodies Anonymous

I worked at a Mexican restaurant for a couple of days once. I hated the experience, and I didn’t shed any tears when they closed down. The one good thing I learned there was how they made what they called ranch style pinto beans.  I play with the recipe every time I make it, and tonight I substituted the usual jalapeno with chipotle. I loved how the smokiness played off the bacon; so I decided to document it for posterity.  This makes a great side for carne asada or grilled chicken.

Ingredients

2 cans pinto beans*

1 tsp olive oil

1 slice bacon, small dice

1/4 cup yellow onion, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp chipotle with adobe sauce, chopped (adjust according to how spicy you want the beans)

1/2 tsp caldo de pollo powder**

1/4 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

1. In a small pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add diced bacon and stir for a minute or two. Then add the onion and cook until slightly translucent. Add the garlic and chipotle and cook for about a minute more.

2. Discard the liquid from one of the cans of beans and add both cans to the pot. Stir in the bullion powder and cumin. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Garnish with chopped cilantro if you have any on hand.

Serves 4.

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*Yes, I use canned pinto beans. It’s a great convenience product and it allows you to make a pretty killer dish in 10-15 minutes instead of a few hours. Feel free to substitute homemade beans for even better results.

**You can find Knorr Caldo de Pollo in many markets in the ethnic food aisle, or with other brands of chicken bullion. This is a family staple for seasoning lots of dishes. If you want to class up the dish a little, replace the liquid from the beans with chicken stock.