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Hello, bean aficionados! If you’re all about heirloom beans, you’ve got to try Anasazi Frijoles de la Olla. This dish, traditionally made with pinto beans, takes on a whole new dimension of flavor when you use Anasazi beans, the flavorful heirloom ancestor of the pinto.
Frijoles de la Olla, which means "beans of the pot," has a rich tradition of being slow-cooked in a clay pot on the stovetop. While that method imparts a unique taste, many modern cooks, including myself, often reach for a trusty cast iron pot or Dutch oven for similar results with a bit more convenience.
Anasazi beans are the star here, offering a robust, nuanced flavor that transforms this simple dish into something extraordinary. The magic happens when you slow-cook these beans with a few herbs, onions, and garlic, creating a creamy texture and a broth that's absolutely packed with flavor.
Even though Anasazi beans steal the show, you can experiment with other heirloom varieties like Myacoba, Peruviana, Old Indian Woman, and King City Pink. Each brings its own unique character to the pot, making every batch of Frijoles de la Olla an exciting culinary adventure. Dive in and discover the amazing flavors heirloom beans can bring to this traditional Mexican favorite!
You'll find many a cook that waxes poetic about the many virtues of this beautiful little maroon and white mottled bean. It is thought to be an ancient ancestor of pinto beans because of the color but that's where the comparison stops. It is revered for not only it's sweet, dense flavor but also its quicker cooking times and the fact that there is no need to soak them.
Anasazi Beans have been grown by the Anasazi people in what is now called the four corners region of the United States dating back to at least 130 AD. They are sometimes called New Mexico Cave Beans because they were found in the ruins of their famous cave dwellings in New Mexico and Colorado.
Rinse and pick over 1 pound of anasazi beans. Smash the cloves of garlic with the back of your knife but keep them whole. Toss them and all rest of the ingredients in a dutch oven, clay pot or other thick bottom pot that will cook slow and low on the stovetop.
Bring the water to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 90 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. Check on the pot every 15 minutes to skim off the surface and add water as needed to keep them submerged. Its best to keep a pitcher of warm water next to the stove so that cold tap water doesn't bring down the temperature of the pot and slow the cooking process.
DO NOT STIR THE POT, if you do, you will break the beans. Instead you can gently shake the pot a bit to make sure they are all submerged but the heat should be so low that they will remain largely undistrubed until done.
Check on the beans at the one hour mark to see if they are done and then every 15 minutes after that. You want them to be soft and creamy but not falling apart.
When they are done cooking, discard the bay leaves, garlic, cilantro and scallions. We like to serve them with warm tortillas and diced fresh scallions, cilantro chilis, avocado and radish but you do you and top them (or not) with whatever strikes your fancy.
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