Drunken Beans

If you don’t think pinto beans can be wildly exciting, try getting them drunk on a little tequila.

Prepare Ahead
The dried beans can be cooked hours or days ahead up to the point of adding the tequila and cilantro. Reheat beans and add the remaining ingredients just before serving.

4 servings

8 oz (250g) dried pinto beans
2 tsp (10mL) salt
1 Tbsp (15mL) olive oil
1/2 cup (125mL) chopped onion
2 serrano or jalapeño chile peppers, chopped, or 1 heaping teaspoon (5mL) or more Aleppo pepper
1/4 cup (60mL) good-quality tequila
1/3 cup (75mL) plus a handful chopped cilantro leaves, divided
Eight 1/2-inch (12mm) wedges of Mexican queso fresco (white cheese) or feta cheese

Sort through the beans, discarding any debris. Rinse the beans thoroughly and place in a pot large enough to hold them after they have cooked (they usually expand to two or three times their dried volume). Add water to cover the beans by about 3 inches (7.5cm). Cover and bring beans to a boil over low heat (this can easily take 20 minutes). Let the beans boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 1 to 3 hours.

After presoaking, drain the beans, return them to the saucepan, and add water to cover by about 1 inch (2.5cm). Bring water to a boil. Return to a simmer and cook the beans until very tender; this can take as little as 30 minutes and as long as a few hours. Be sure the water covers the beans; add water as needed. Test for doneness by spooning a few beans into a small bowl; taste them as soon as they’ve cooled just a bit. The beans should be tender and show no trace of raw starch. Some beans will split open, which is fine. When the beans are done, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the salt. Carefully taste the liquid for seasoning. You may need more than 2 teaspoons (10mL) of salt—beans can take a generous amount.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat, add the onion and peppers, and cook until onions are tender. Add to the pot with the cooked beans. Continue simmering for 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Just before serving, add the tequila and 1/3 cup (75mL) of the cilantro to the hot beans. Place 2 wedges of cheese on each of 4 serving plates. Top the cheese with a couple of spoonfuls of beans and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve immediately, encouraging diners to mash the beans into the cheese as they eat. Serve with tortillas to soak up every bit.

Recipe shared with permission from Cooking with Les Dames d’Escoffier, At Home with the Women Who Shape the Way We Eat and Drink edited by Marcella Rosene with Pat Mozersky (Sasquatch Books 2008).