pinto beans

Dry pinto beans were on sale last week, and I figured they were a cheap and useful staple. I had no idea really how to cook them, so I pretty much winged it. I soaked them overnight, drained, and then boiled them until they were soft but not falling apart. I drained them again, and then sautéd some onions and garlic in butter, added the beans and a carton of chicken stock. I let it reduce a bit, then added a bunch of spices, by which I mean I spilled a little too much ancho chile powder into it. I also added cumin, oregeno, black pepper, and a bit of chipotle. Salt I waited on, since I heard somewhere it makes beans tough. They were still a little soupy when I got too hungry to wait anymore, but I put it over some white rice and they were delicious anyhow. I then left it on low and completely spaced out for a couple hours, at which point it had reduced almost entirely. I put in the fridge, and today they have the texture of refried beans and amazing flavor.

On an unrelated note, I hit the farmer's market again this morning. I got some pluots, which are amazing and wonderful. I much prefer them to plums, and am excited to try more varieties in spring and summer. I got some oranges, which look really sketchy on the outside, but are really juicy and tasty. I got some meyer lemons, which I don't know what to do with yet. I got some radiccio, some of which I will grill, some of which I will braise in ginger and put into onigiri. There was a vineyard there which doesn't seem to make wine so much as edible grapes. Do you still call it a vineyard? Anyhow, I tried some Thompsons, which are small, golden, and oh so sweet. I also got some flame raisins, which have a deeper flavor than standard raisins and are going to turn into some oatmeal raisin cookies tomorrow. They make all the varieties into raisins, and the flavor difference between them is amazing. I'll bring some back east with me at Thanksgiving.