Frijoles de la Olla

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.

This is a foundational recipe and it's very simple. Just beans, water, onion, garlic, herbs and salt. No fat, no meat, nothing that will compete with the flavor of the beans. Frijoles de la Olla is delicious all on its own and it's often the first thing I cook with a new bean I'm tasting, but from this basic pot you can make refried beans, charro beans and so much more. Read about how this transforms into 3 different Mexican bean dishes.

The beans are the star here and it's a great way to really show off the incredible flavor heirloom beans bring to the party, 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.

*A Note On Our Recipes:

Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.

Frijoles de la Olla

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The most traditional brothy bean dish there is: frijoles de la olla. A simple, plant-based recipe using heirloom beans, straight from the pot.

Author:

Lisa Riznikove

Ingredients

• ½ pound Heirloom Beans (Bayo, Peruano, Flor De Mayo, Rio Zape, etc)

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• 3 cups of water

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 green onions, trimmed

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 3 sprigs of cilantro

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Directions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.