Evening Beans

I wish beans had a prettier name. I can't think of one right now, but I know that the flat sound of "beans" doesn't do justice to these creamy (when cooked right) morsels of brothy goodness. I have been on a Mexican food kick lately, and I made plain old beans tonight. They were pretty dang delicious. And beautiful. 

The trick to hearty beans that don't break apart but have a creamy interior is to simmer, not soak, them. That's right: I said DON'T SOAK THEM. You should just trust me on this one.

Evening Beans (As in, if it's 4 p.m. and you're having people over at 6:30 and you don't know what to serve them, you would have just enough time to throw these beans together and send your husband/partner/best friend out to buy queso fresco, fresh tortillas, and limes for margaritas while you stay at home, spend five minutes in front of the stove, and then feel like a domestic goddess.)

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups of dried pinto beans

10 cups of water

3 teaspoons of Kosher salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of sugar in the raw (use less sugar if you have only refined sugar)

1 -15 oz. can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies

Sort beans and rinse. Pour them into a heavy saucepan. Add the water and oil to the beans. Bring to a fast boil, cover, and then let simmer (a medium simmer with bubbles around the edge of the liquid) for two and half to three hours. Once the beans are tender, add the tomatoes and chilies, sugar, and salt. 

Serve with crumbled queso fresco and warm corn tortillas.