Frijoles Borrachos (Drunken Beans)

__________________________________________________

         FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________
Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for this groaner:
 
A farmer was milking his cow. He was just starting to get a good rhythm
going when a bug flew into the barn and started circling his head.
Suddenly, the bug flew into the cow's ear. The farmer didn't think much
about it, until the bug squirted out into his bucket. It went in one ear and out the udder.

__________________________________________________

            TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

In preparing this dish for our class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking,
chef/instructor Eddie Lyons cooked the beans in a pressure cooker,
skipping the overnight soaking. You can soak the beans overnight if you
like, or you can simply cook them longer to get the same results. You
can even use a couple of cans of beans, well rinsed and drained, if you
like because this dish is more about the flavorful "sofrito" than the
beans themselves. If you can't get your hands on the Mexican herb known
as epazote, simply eliminate it from the recipe.

Frijoles Borrachos (Drunken Beans)

For the beans:
1 lb (450 g) dried pinto beans, soaked overnight if desired
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) dried epazote* (optional)
Salt to taste

For the sofrito:
2 Tbs (30 ml) peanut or corn oil
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), cored, seeded, and chopped
1 green bell pepper (capsicum), cored, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
A 12-oz (340 ml) bottle of Mexican beer, preferably dark such as Negra Modelo
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)

* Available in the spice section of finer supermarkets, Hispanic specialty shops, and by mail order

Combine the beans, garlic, onion, epazote, salt, and enough water to
cover the beans by about 4 inches (10 cm) and bring to a boil over high
heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered until the beans are tender, 2
to 4 hours, depending on whether they were soaked or not. Remove from
the heat and let the beans sit in their liquid.

To make the sofrito, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high
heat and saute the peppers and onion until tender but not brown. Add the
beer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the
cilantro. Add the sofrito to the beans, stirring to combine, and keep
warm until ready to serve.
Serves 8 to 12.
Received on Tue Oct 9 08:25:39 2007