Frijoles A La Charra

By Melissa Pitts

An oldie but a goodie. This recipe is a classic- no bells and whistles, just good ingredients blended perfectly to make this staple side. This is a regular in households throughout Latin America, in many different ways using different beans and spices. I made this in the slow cooker but you can of course use a regular pot and follow the directions of the beans to make sure they are cooked through. I don’t have the patience to soak beans overnight so I just rinsed and let the slow cooker do its thing. Here is my recipe, courtesy of a real Regio, buen provecho.

Yields 6 servings

Cook Time: 5 hours

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound dry pinto beans
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • 3 serrano peppers, depending on your preference of heat, veined and seeded
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 cup diced bacon
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. In the slow cooker of post, cook the beans with 3 garlic cloves , salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Let cook on high for 5 hours or until the beans are cooked. Set ½ cup of the cooked beans aside.
  2. In another pot (I use a dutch oven), on medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Fry the bacon, onion and serrano peppers until the bacon has cooked through–about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook until they have softened, about 2 minutes.
  3. In a blender, puree the ½ cup beans and add the pureed mixture to the onion, bacon, and tomato mixture. Fry another minute and add the oregano. Add the rest of the beans and stir until everything is incorporated. Taste for salt.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes until the beans have thickened. Serve warm.

Subscribe today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Must Read