Black Beans with a Toasted Chile Sofrito
Frijoles de la olla, beans from the pot, need almost nothing to taste like something. The savory backbone here comes from dried chiles toasted until fragrant, then blended straight into the pot in place of the lard-fried sofrito that usually carries this dish. Fresh epazote is traditional and eases digestion; a teaspoon of the dried leaf works if you cannot find it.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Black beans, picked over and rinsed
- 5 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 sprigs Epazote
- 1 Ancho, stemmed and seeded
- 2 Guajillos, stemmed and seeded
- 1 Chipotle, stemmed
- 1 tsp Cumin seed
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 Yellow onion, quartered
- 1 tsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 Lime, juiced
- 3 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
Method
- Put the black beans in a large pot with 6 cups (1.4 L) water, the quartered onion, half the garlic, one bay leaf, and the epazote. Bring to a boil, then drop to a bare simmer. Cook partly covered until the beans are fully tender and creamy in the middle, 75 to 90 minutes, topping up with hot water if they ever rise above the surface. Leave them unseasoned while they cook.
- While the beans simmer, set a dry pan over medium heat. Toast the ancho, guajillo, and chipotle a few seconds a side, pressing them flat, until they smell toasty and turn pliable. Do not let them scorch, or they turn bitter. Tear them up and cover with just-boiled water for 15 minutes.
- Toast the cumin seed in the same dry pan until fragrant, about 1 minute, then grind it.
- Drain the softened chiles and keep the soaking water. Blend the chiles with the crushed tomatoes, the remaining garlic, the cumin, and the oregano into a smooth sofrito, adding soaking water as needed to keep the blades moving.
- When the beans are tender, stir the sofrito into the pot with the no-salt bouillon and the second bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the broth turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Mash a ladle of beans against the side and stir it back in for body.
- Fish out the bay leaves and the epazote stems. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste, and reach for more lime rather than salt if it needs lifting.
- Scatter the cilantro over the top. Serve in bowls with the broth, or reduce the pot further and spoon the beans into warm whole corn tortillas.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 310 calories, 18 g protein, 15 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.