By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes (includes 2 hours unsupervised simmering)
- Rating
- 5(1,003)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This pot of beans was Step 1 for the other Recipes for Health this week. If I know that I’m going to use these beans for a Mexican dinner I season them with cilantro and, if I can find it, epazote. If I want Italian or Provençal flavors I make a bouquet garni with bay leaf, thyme, parsley, maybe sage, and most definitely a Parmesan rind. This week, since I am using my beans as a starting off point for other dishes, I season them only with onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt. The dishes that will follow throughout the week will introduce more flavors.
Featured in: A Big Pot of Simmered Pintos
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6
- 1pound (about 2¼ cups) pinto beans, washed and picked over for stones, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight in 2 quarts water
- 1medium onion, cut in half
- 2 to 4large garlic cloves (to taste), minced
- 1bay leaf
- Salt to taste (I think beans need a lot, at least 1 teaspoon per quart of water used)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
274 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 224 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Place beans and soaking water in a large, heavy pot. Add halved onion and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam that rises, then add garlic and bay leaf, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Step
2
Add salt and continue to simmer another 1 to 1½ hours, until beans are quite soft and broth is thick and fragrant. Taste and adjust salt. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove and discard onion and bay leaf. For the best flavor refrigerate overnight.
Tip
- Advance preparation: The cooked beans will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and freeze well.
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1,003
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Cooking Notes
Anne
1 pound dried beans = 3 to 4 - 15oz cansor 57 ounces
Metrically Speaking
For refrigeration and freezing, is it better to store the beans in the cooking water or drained?
Lena C.
Thanks for adding this recipe. Although I already cook beans this way, but I've noticed that a lot of cookbooks and recipe sites don't provide a basic way to cook beans from scratch that are simply flavored. I learned this method from a Mexican cookbook.
The only thing I would recommend is adding a some olive or vegetable oil to the pot.
Regarding the salt, I generally add 1.5 tsp.
Julie Gussman
I add the salt about an hour into cooking, and the beans are seasoned perfectly.
As I cook beans often, I am always looking for a new, effort-saving approach. My next experiment is cooking them in the slow cooker, with the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Doing so will enable me to walk away from the kitchen without worrying about results.
Lena C.
For the 2nd question on salting, I think it's debatable. But I salt mine once the beans are slightly tender. Here's an article from the Kitchn
http://www.thekitchn.com/think-salt-is-the-enemy-of-perfect-beans-think-...
Martha Rose Shulman
They should be covered. I am surprised that they were done in less than an hour. YOu should continue to simmer them for another 45 minutes even if the beans are done, to get maximum flavor. There should be a fair amount of broth.
Marion Stein
I always add a piece of Kombu when cooking beans. I always save the broth and if not using with the beans, I use it as a soup base or as liquid in which to cook a grain or pasta.
jocelyn
Was pressed for time so did the beans in the instant pot. Threw all the ingredients in at once - including the salt. I don't mushy beans, so 27 min was perfect. Worked very well. (Despite my leariness re the great salt debate.)
Betsy
Actually, you can cook the beans with cilantro stems (tied up in a bunch or in cheesecloth to make them easier to remove after the beans are done). A lot of Caribbean bean recipes use this method. It gives a lovely flavor. Then you can add chopped leaves at the end as Lena suggests.
Marj
From Chowhound:
Cooking beans in their soaking water will...yield a thicker broth, says...a spokesperson for the Idaho Bean Commission. ...if you’re bothered by “undesirable side effects”...(that’s code for farting), drain and rinse them, and cook using fresh water, says...a spokesperson for the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission. “The soaking process breaks down the ...the indigestible sugars... that cause gas,” she explains. Draining the soaking liquids [reduces] the indigestible sugars."
diane
I've heard that it's not the salt added at the start, but acid such as tomatoes, that keep the beans tough.
Mel
Delicious! I used this recipe to prepare the beans for Martha's Refried Bean, Zucchini and Corn Gratin. I didn't have time to soak the beans the night before, so i used the quick soak method - adding all the listed ingredients to a pot, bringing it to a boil for 5-10 minutes (covered), turning the heat off and letting it sit for 1-2 hours. I could have happily sat and eaten a bowl of these beans if I didn't need them for the Refried Bean, Zucchini and Corn Gratin recipe!
Jessica B
I've made these beans several times as described in the recipe. They are outstanding on their own, but they also make for the most delicious Pasta e fa*gioli (Martha Rose Shulman's recipe).
Peter G.
A superb pot of beans! Particulars: soaked overnight, used 4 cloves of garlic, and added the salt an hour into the simmer. Next time, will try 1.5 tsp of salt as 2.0 tsp is a tad too much to start with.
Lena C.
I could be wrong, but I believe cilantro is usually added right before serving. In other words, you usually don't cook it because the cilantro flavor just breaks down. I just add it chopped and an amount that's to my liking once the beans are bowled or served.
Steph
I also add a dried red chile
Kim H
I used a pressure cooker for 40 minites and added a couple of tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon vegtable paste.
kerry
Adjust salt? You can't take it back out. Stop salting so much.
Maggie Wood
Personal note about using canned beans. I made this, but thought it was a little runny (possibly my fault for not measuring precisely). To compensate, I added a couple of cans of beans. I could immediately taste the can. Because of that experience I will never buy canned beans again.
Sarah BH
Great starting point. After the beans were ready, I added fire-roasted tomatoes, green chilis, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, adobo seasoning, and lime juice for a Mexican dish.
Melissa
Do I need to discard the onion if it would go just fine in what I plan to make with the beans?
kerry
Put the onion in chopped.
Petit4s
Followed the recipe, and the beans were a beautiful texture... but there wasn't much flavor except garlic! Next time I'll try adding cilantro, or go back to the fabulous NYT Drunken Beans recipe....
egg
Love this recipe! Instead of beans I used nuts and bolts found around my garage
J. Richard Brown
I boil beans in a cast iron Dutch oven, add a whole onion, smashed garlic, 2 bay leaves, and kombu and simmer for 15 mins; this insures the lectin phytohaemagglutinin is denatured. I cover and place in a 350F oven for 1.5 hrs and remove the kombu. I add salt and half-an-hour more in the oven with the cover removed usually does the trick. I find no usefulness in soaking. This method works with every variety of dried bean I have tried although I don't use the same aromatics with all beans.
Edenn
Only 1tsp of salt to start
Karen
I’m have a culinary degree and I need clarification. Do you mean drain the beans before refrigeration? Or refrigerate with the liquid?
Jim
We loved the pasta e fa*gioli recipe made with these beans. But I'm not sure I'll make them again. The gas effect was incredible. I'm wondering if this is because I cooked the beans in the soaking water, as directed? I gather changing the water and rinsing the beans would make a difference, but then what would be the trade-off in lost flavor?
Ona
Can I use this recipe for other types of beans? I’ve had a bag of dried black beans in my pantry for a while.
MollyC
Delicious on their own, with rice, in recipes that call for cooked pintos. Have made this many times and it will stay in the rotation.
Kelly
Instant pot for fifty minutes and they are perfect.I serve with rice and fresh cilantro, diced red onion, and avocado (if I have it).A perfect weeknight meal for my family.
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