Sunday, April 26, 2009

Fiestas, Friends & Frijoles

Last week we had a fabulous Fiesta at our home to celebrate our time here South of the Border & spend an evening with our friends as life in Mexico winds to a close. Celebrations in Mexico are always great fun & the people here love a good party. We took a trip earlier in the week to the large Mercado down on Cuauhtémoc in Monterrey to find the perfect Pinata for the party. The selection, color & size of the Pinatas was nothing short of staggering. We did however make a selection & I rode next to a 3 X 4 foot Fuzzy Butterfly Pinata on the way back home. There were several kilos of candies & little tiny plastic Puerquito toys stuffed inside the Giant Pinata. Nothing says "let's Party" like hitting a swinging paper mache' Pinata & being blindfolded. Even those novices who were new to the Pinata experience got into the fun when our Pinata was strung up from the balcony. We had far more food & beverage than could possibly be consumed by the crowd & it seemed like everyone had a Mexican dish they specialized in. Of course the cuisine in Mexico seems take center stage at any celebration. I made Frijoles Borracho which I learned to make years ago from a friend of ours who is from Mexico. I used my traditional Mexican Olla to cook the beans in. A well seasoned Olla makes the flavor even better for these tasty legumes.





Frijoles Borrachos, Drunken Beans

1 pound dried pinto beans
1 14 oz. can of Diced tomatoes, or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 med. white onion, diced
4 slices of bacon, cut into small 1 inch pieces
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
12 ounces Sol beer
2 quarts water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the beans thoroughly in cold water, sort beans discarding any stones or odd beans. Place the beans in a Dutch oven or well seasoned Mexican Clay Olla, and cover with water. Soak overnight. Next day, cook for 30 minutes & add the tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic, bacon, oregano, and beer. Cook until the beans are tender, about another 2 hrs over low heat. With a potato or bean masher, crush the beans, to thicken the bean liquid. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls. We serve this topped with extra diced tomato, onion & cilantro.

14 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Sounds like a blast! I love frijoles borrachos...wish I had an olla of my own (on my wishlist, for sure!).

Anonymous said...

What fun! Frijoles Borrachos sound delicious!

Dee said...

Thanks girlichef & 5 Star. Frijoles Borrachos are a big fave in our house. Sometimes we just have those as a meal with a slab of cornbread!

Rico said...

***Don't Publish this one*** I just coloured partially your horse picture, as to the low resolution, that is all I achieved...hope you like it.. I was just killing time..you can find it here

Chef E said...

Beer, frijoles, spicy, celebration, pinatas...oh my...remember Mexican jumping beans when we were kids?

Okay that just confirmed I am ADD, or was it the thoughts of mariachis playing musica and my mind began to dance?

My whole childhood flashed before my eyes too :) and I wrote a poem about cornbread and beans since we ate that at least four times a week in the 'kids are sick, so I cannot work, and no money times' :)

Tangled Noodle said...

The clay Olla is so cool! I wonder where I might find one in MN? Thanks for sharing a great recipe and fun times!

Dee said...

Thank you Ricardo! How nice.
Chef E~Growing up in Texas & with a culture so close to this one it is easy to hear mariachi music & think of places like San Antonio, Laredo & points in between. Yes, I too was a kid who "had" to have a set of jumping beans. Funny memories! You & I must have been separated at birth!
Tangled Noodle~check this site for a Mexican Olla for your beans. Quite authentic & beautiful too! http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Images/ollas_150.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicanpotterycookingpots.htm&usg=__tR1-gVgB7zwZIgF_Ufe44sBEr0U=&h=150&w=150&sz=11&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=-RJln0lDUUeFiM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmexican%2Bbean%2Bpot%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Dee said...

Tangled Noodle, having problems with that site but it is GourmetSleuth.com
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Images/ollas_150.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicanpotterycookingpots.htm&usg=__tR1-gVgB7zwZIgF_Ufe44sBEr0U=&h=150&w=150&sz=11&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=-RJln0lDUUeFiM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmexican%2Bbean%2Bpot%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Angie's Recipes said...

I had drunken chicken, and prawns, but drunken beans are something new and interesting to me.

Dee said...

Angie, Drunken Prawns sound delicious! Hope you have that one posted...

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I'll bet it was a fabulous party, fun and yet a bit sad at the same time. I've enjoyed living the Mexican life vicariously through you. Thanks for the photos and wonderful commentary.

Abby said...

I've only heard of drunken chicken!

My little one LOVES beans so I'll have to learn more bean dishes - like this one - to let him try as he gets older.

Dee said...

Patti~I have enjoyed it too! My running commentaries will still have a Latin flare from time to time. This place will never be very far from my heart & soul.
Abby~I've also eaten Drunken noodles. Seems like they are all delicious in this form.

Hornsfan said...

Looks like a wild evening!