20 June 2007

Frijoles de Olla y Espinaca

Frijoles de Olla

There seem to be almost as many recipes for this as there are people who make it, so I just sort of muddled through on my own. I used Flor de Mayo beans because they are purple in their uncooked state. Pinto or black beans would work just as well

1/2 cup dry beans
1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 head of garlic, separated into cloves
3 chilis de arbol or equivalent whole chilis
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Soak the beans overnight. Drain off the soaking water and add 1.5 fresh cups of water. Add onion, garlic and chilis. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and simmer until the beans are soft (45 minutes to an hour, depending on your beans). Add salt to taste.

If you want refritos out of this dish, simply mash the now-soft cooked beans.

Espinaca

Means "spinach" in Spanish. I came up with this recipe while trying to make spinach enchiladas, but it's just as good on its own.

1 lb spinach (or 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed), washed and coarsely chopped
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lime
several tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Cook over medium heat until spinach is bright and wilted.

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