Tequila and beer beans
Tequila and beer beans
Tequila and beer beans
Tequila and beer beans
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 hour 30 min
Ready in: 1 hour 50 min
Yields: Serves 6 to 8, this recipe doubles very well
Tequila and beer beans
- 1 1/2 cup black beans, organic and dried
- 20 sprigs cilantro, about half a bunch
- 1 small to medium onion, chopped
- 1 pepper, (poblano or anaheim), seeded, de-stemmed and chopped fine
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tequila, use a decent tequila
- 1 leaf bay leaves
- 1/2 cup beer, I have used a Belgian and a Mexican with great results
- 1/4 cup tomato paste, I buy it in the tube form so you can just cap it and put it in the refrigerator.
- 1 lime, organic and quartered
- 1/2 to 1 cup Cotja or feta cheese, The amount varies with your love of cheese.
- 1 bunch chives, I snipped them with scissors to finish off the dish
- 3 tablespoons salt
Tequila and beer beans
- Combine 1 tablespoon of salt and about 2 quarts of water in your dutch oven pan. Heat the beans to just boiling, then turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat. Let it sit for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans after the hour waiting time. You can save time the next day if you would like to soak the beans overnight. It's the equivalent of the boil and let it sit method. If you soak the beans overnight, you can go right to step 2, the next day.
- Turn your oven on to 275 degrees. You will now want to make a Mexican Bouquet Garni. Just take about 10 cilantro sprigs and cut off their tops leaving the stems. Combine the other sprigs in your cilantro bunch and tie them all together with cooking twine. The reason for just using the stems: the stems have almost double the flavor of the tops.
- Using the dutch oven you are going to bake the beans in, add to the pan a tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat. Now begin adding the onion, pepper and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Add the tequila and allow it to evaporate off. That will take about 3 or 4 minutes.
- Stir into the dutch oven 2 cups of water, bay leaves, the cilantro bundle, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the dutch oven back on the stove burner and heat it until the water is boiling. At this step, pay attention and be careful. Turn off the burner heat, place the lid tightly on the dutch oven, and move this into your 275 degree pre-heated oven for one hour.
- After the beans have been in the oven for an hour, take it from the oven carefully and put it back on your stove burner. Remove the bay leaves and cilantro. Stir in the beer and tomato paste mixture. Turn the heat onto medium high and cook at a simmer for 30 more minutes. Check the beans for tenderness. If not tender enough, raise the heat to 300 degrees and cook another 15 minutes or until you reach your desired tenderness.
- Serve your beans with fresh chopped cilantro, chives, and cheese. I served mine with brown rice and fresh avocado. This is my favorite way to make beans!
Tequila and beer beans
I had you with tequila and beer, right? This recipe does have a few steps but they are all very simple and there is plenty of time in between steps to prepare other items to go with the beans. I like to make them with fresh whole wheat tortillas, too. Yes, I do make my own tortillas. You can, too. You can find all the steps and the tortilla recipe under my "Vegetarian Marsala, spicy and nutritious in whole wheat tortillas" blog. You can do this recipe with any sort of bean or spice combination, all you need is your imagination!
Cooks note: Don't use a tequila or beer that you wouldn't also be willing to drink. If you use a very hoppy beer it will shine though into the beans, same for a cheap tequila!
