Frijoles a la Charra

This will smell so good while cooking! Total time is about 3 hours, so plan accordingly.

1-1.5 c dry pinto beans
garlic (or onion)
salt (I use seasoned salt)
pepper
fresh tomato
cilantro (this is important)
oil
bacon, if desired

Rinse pinto beans, picking out any stones, etc. Put in pot and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 2 hours.

Heat up a bit of oil in a small skillet. Chop tomato and cilantro and saute. Add a ladle-ful or 2 of the beans and water, simmer for a few minutes, mashing them up with a potato masher. Dump contents back into pot, with garlic and seasonings. Add bacon if desired.


Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Add more seasonings to taste, if desired. Excellent with mexican rice and tortillas (and fajitas). Also great for bean and rice quesadillas.

To make refried beans, heat up some oil in a large skillet, then add the beans, mashing them with a potato masher.