Beans are an important part of any healthy diet because they are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Beans are so a great protein source for a Vegan diet. Over the years, I have been incorporating more beans dishes into my weekly meals. When I started cooking more Mexican inspired bean dishes, I learned about Frijoles de Olla which translates to Mexican Beans from a pot. Frijoles de Olla are traditionally cooked in a clay pot
I haven been wanting to get a clay pot for beans for a few years now. I tried to bring one back to Michigan from our February trip to Mexico; unfortunately it broke in my suitcase. Naturally one of the first things that I wanted to buy for my kitchen here in Mexico City was a clay pot to cook beans. We went to the market and picked out a beautiful clay pot.
The vender explained to us how to cure the pot. He said to add water, just enough to fill the bottom portion. Boil the water until it evaporates. Repeat the process another two times. We also asked Hector's Aunt how to cure it and she said to rub garlic all over it. The vender told us we didn't need to do that because it is just glazed on the outside. Any other type of clay olla or cooking vessel with a glazed interior needs to be cured using garlic. He also told us that we should have one dedicated pot for beans and use another one for drinks. If you don't have a traditional clay pot, do not worry. Any large pot should get the job done.
Sometimes I soak my beans and sometimes I don't. If you don't soak your beans, they will just take longer to cook. To cut down on cooking time, I recommend soaking the beans 4-6 hours. It also depends on the age of the beans. Older beans will take longer to cook.
Frijoles de Olla have become a staple in our household. It's such a simple recipe that is a nutritious option for your family. Make a batch on the weekends to enjoy throughout the week.
- 1 lb Pinto, Flor de Mayo, or Peruivan Beans
- ½ Medium White Onion, cut in half
- Filtered Water
- Sea Salt
- Clean and sort the beans. Remove any stones or sticks. Rinse under cold water.
- Soak the beans 4-6 hours, or overnight
- Drain the beans and rinse with cold water. Add the beans to a clay bean pot or a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans with about 2 ½ -3 inches of water. Add the onion.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, about 1 ½-3 hours. The cooking time depends on how old the beans are. Check the beans every so often. If a lot of water has evaporated during the cooking time, add some more water to the beans.
- Serve right away or cool and store in the fridge.
- Serve with warm tortillas, freshly cut avocado, sliced onions, etc.
Timaree
Are you sure the Lola is lead free? I have thrown out some Mexican pots years back due to lead in their glazes.
Jeni
It is definetly hard to find a lead free olla, but there are some places that do sell lead free pots. On Amazon they sell a lead free olla. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/La-Mexicana-Olla-Barro-6-Quart/dp/B004444XNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417890290&sr=8-1&keywords=mexican+olla
And also on MexGrocer they have quite a few lead free options for clay cookware!
http://www.mexgrocer.com/clay-cookware.html