Mis frijoles

This is the very first recipe I ever invented, ever. And I basically invented it from nothing, based on nothing, and it somehow came together. This isn't to say that it wasn't already a recipe in someone else's repertoire, mind you. Just that I am, and always have been, inordinately proud of this recipe. These are my beans, dammit. And I love them.

[I am now so far advanced that I generally make them with dried beans, but if you're to the point that you use dried beans yourself, you'll also be able to (easily) convert these proportions.]

[That said, the main reason, other than flavour, that these beans are so amazing is that they whip up in no time. But that's assuming you're cool with opening a can.]

Check it out:
1 can beans, drained (black, pinto, navy...basically anything but garbonzos, I would think)
1 small onion, chopped (finely)
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (pressed, if you so desire)
2 t cumin
1 t oregano
...and the kicker: chipotles (chopped) to taste (start with one and work up, unless you already know that will be too wimpy for you) (the canned kind, in adobo) (this ingredient is not to be omitted on penalty of excommunication or something worse) (my mom even likes them and she doesn't eat anything remotely spicy) (except Worcestershire sauce)

Plus water

Honestly, this couldn't be much easier. Start to fry the onion, and add the garlic when it starts to go translucent. Sound too precise? You can add them at the same time, or omit the garlic, it doesn't matter. Then, when they start looking a little cooked (read: not black, just clearish to caramelish) add the spices and the chipotles. Today, you can generally find chipotles in the grocery store near the Old El Paso section. If you're feeling really lazy (as I often am), you can just pour in a big slurp of the chipotle salsa--the kind that comes in a tall skinny jar. I use about a third of a jar (the really skinny jars).

Where were we? Ok, you've got the garlic and onion, the spices and chipotles, now add the beans. Stir it all up. Then add about a cup or so of water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer. Keep doing this for as long as you want. I mean, you can keep adding water, the beans will just get more and more infused with the nice slow burn you've got there, and the starch will work its way out, and they'll get mushier and mushier (you can also mush them with a potato masher if you want, or leave them whole if you happen to buy a particularly integral brand such as P.C.). If you only add the cup or so of water and let it simmer down, that'll be good, too.

How to serve them? With rice, of course. Got tortillas? Go nuts. Add jalapenos (from a jar, hence no prep). Add cheese (I personally have a horror of the concept of pre-grated cheese, but you certainly could). If you're feeling really fancy you could top it with cilantro, but really only buy a bunch if you're planning on using the rest. You could chop some up and add it to the beans near the end of the simmering. I've done it. It's good. As an extra-special treat, go avocado and lime. You won't regret it.

Oh. And salsa, of course. My preferred brand is Herdez' Salsa Casera (hot, but it also comes in mild and medium). If you want to serve the beans with eggs (preferably between two corn tortillas), I prefer La Costena's Salsa Verde.

So there you have it. Dinner (for one) and breakfast (or lunch) the next day.

Mis frijoles sabrosos. Que rico! (My keyboard is French, and I can't figure out how to set up an upsidedown exclamation mark. Sorry.)