Pinto Beans

The humble but nutrient-packed pinto bean derives its name from its reddish-brown color and creamy spots. A pot of these beans often simmers on a back burner in Chimayó homes. At the restaurant, the bean pot cooks fifty gallons of the popular staple at a time.

The main secret to good beans is long, low cooking. When ready to serve, beans should hold their shape but be smooth in texture. Don’t cook them so fast or so long that they become mushy. Cooked beans lose their spots, becoming pinkish-brown in color. While the cooking time is lengthy, the recipe is simple and almost foolproof.

1½ cups pinto beans

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste

Serves 6

1. Rinse the beans, looking for any tiny gravel or grit. Soak at least 4 hours, or overnight preferably.

2. Drain the beans, place them in a stockpot or large, heavy saucepan, and add 8 cups of water. Simmer the beans, uncovered, over low heat. Plan on a total cooking time of around 2 to 2½ hours. Hardness of the water, altitude, and the particular beans’ obstinacy can all affect the timing.

3. Check the pot after 1 hour, stirring the beans up from the bottom and checking the water level. If there is not at least an inch more water than beans, add enough hot water to bring it to that level. Check the beans after another 30 minutes, repeating the process. Add the salt after the beans are well softened, and continue simmering. Check every 15 minutes, keeping the level of the water just above the beans. The beans are done when they are soft and creamy but not mushy, with each bean retaining its shape. There should be extra liquid at the completion of the cooking time, although the beans should not be soupy. Serve immediately or cover and keep warm for 1 hour.

Ahead-of-time note: Cook a day before serving if you wish. Leftovers will keep another couple of days.

High-altitude note: Whoever said that patience is a virtue may have been trying to rationalize the process of cooking beans at a lofty altitude. The cooking time gets longer the higher you ascend, and you need more water as well. At around 6,500 to 7,000 feet, as in Chimayó or Santa Fe, start the recipe using 10 cups of water rather than 8 and plan for 3½ to 5 hours of cooking time. You will likely need to add more hot water later in the simmering process. Add the salt after about 3 hours of cooking.

Variations: Add 1 or 2 minced cloves of garlic to the beans at the time the salt is added. The beans can be topped with red or green chile sauce at the conclusion of their cooking. Add grated mild cheddar cheese if desired.

Travel connoisseur Andrew Harper, in his Hideaways Report newsletter, once praised the Restaurante’s lunches and dinners as “exquisite” and the “value-priced” lodging at the accompanying Hacienda as “delightful.”