Beans A La Charra Recipes

CHARRO BEANS

Steps:

• Pour dry beans into a colander and rinse them off, removing any unwanted pieces. Add to a large pot with 6 cups of water (or enough to cover them by about 2 inches), a small chunk of onion, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours, until the beans are tender, but not bursting. (Mine usually take about 1 hour but depends on how dry/old your beans are). Check them a few times during cooking to make sure they are covered in water and add a little more water if needed.
• Once the beans are tender, drain them, reserving the liquid and pouring it into a measuring cup. Add additional water (or reduce liquid if needed) to make 2 ½ cups of total liquid. Stir in 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Set aside.
• Add the bacon and chorizo to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until bacon is cooked. Remove some of the grease. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add ham (sausages, if using), diced tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, oregano, paprika, cumin, black pepper and cook for 5 additional minutes.
• Add cooked beans and broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, or additional spices if needed. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
• Serve as a main dish, wish warm tortillas, or as a side dish. When serving as a side dish I like to thicken the beans by adding a cornstarch slurry at the end (1 tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water).

EASY 'CHARRO' BEANS

Steps:

• Fry bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels. Reserve 1/2 cup bacon drippings.
• Place drippings in a large pot, and warm over medium heat. Fry onions until light brown. Stir in ham and chorizo. Reserve 1 cup of beans, and add the rest to the pot, along with the chipotle and garlic.
• Mash the reserved beans, then add to the pot. Simmer beans until thick and soupy, about 30 minutes. (If the beans become too dry, stir in water). Remove chipotle and garlic, and serve.

CHUCKWAGON BEANS (FRIJOLES A LA CHARRA)

Steps:

• Rinse beans thoroughly with cold water.
• Combine beans, water, and ham hock in dutch oven. Heat to boiling, and reduce heat to low (simmer) and cover. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours. Beans should be tender, but not soft.
• After the 1 1/2 hours of cooking beans, heat oil in skillet, and cook onions until they are soft. Add tomato paste, garlic, and jalapeño peppers to onion, stirring well for approximately 30 seconds.
• Add onion mixture and salt to beans, stir well, cover and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Beans should be soft.
• Remove ham hock from beans. Remove meat from bone. Chop meat and return to beans.
• Add cilantro to beans and serve with chips.

BEANS ALA CHARRA

Steps:

• In pot, soak beans over night in the water to cover the beans.
• The next day, cook the bacon until crisp, over medium heat until done, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño; cook for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the chili powder and the cumin and cook for 1 minute.
• Add 1 cup of the water from the beans to this to loosen the crispy crumbs and put all in the beans. Bring beans to a boil; turn to med low and cook until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are soft.
• When beans are cooked, add the salt and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Keep warm until ready to serve.

FRIJOLES A LA CHARRA

Steps:

• Place pinto beans in a slow cooker, and completely cover with water. Mix in garlic and salt. Cover, and cook 1 hour on High.
• Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown, but still tender. Drain about half the fat. Place onion in the skillet, and cook until tender. Mix in tomatoes and jalapenos, and cook until heated through. Transfer to the slow cooker, stirring into the beans.
• Cover slow cooker, and continue cooking 4 hours on Low. Mix in the beer and cilantro about 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

BEANS A LA CHARRA

Steps:

• Sort through the beans and rinse them in cold water. In a large stockpot set over high heat, boil the beans in the 12 cups water for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Roast the poblano chile with a kitchen torch, over a gas burner, or under an oven broiler until evenly charred. Rinse it in cold water to remove the charred skin, then stem, seed, and chop it into small dice; set aside.
• Place the ancho chiles in a medium bowl and cover with hot water. Use a plate or small bowl to weigh down the chiles, keeping them submerged. Soak them until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving 1/4 cup of the soaking water. Puree the softened chiles and the reserved chile soaking water in the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Use a wooden spoon to push the pureed chiles through a strainer and into a bowl; set aside.
• In a large skillet, brown the bacon over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. In the same skillet, sauté the onions, jalapeños, garlic, and poblano in the bacon fat over medium heat. Add the onion mixture to the beans and their soaking water in the stockpot.
• Add the tomatoes, pureed ancho chiles, salt, and beer. Bring the beans to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Crumble the cooked bacon and stir into the beans. Serve warm in small bowls, sprinkled with cilantro.
• do it early
• The beans can be made up to 5 days in advance and refrigerated.