Anita's Blackbean Frijoles
Anita Donohoe

Makes six cups of cooked beans.

This is an adaptation of the method I learned from my late father. The secret of his beans was to cook two pounds at a time, use a pound of bacon and three specific onions. One had to be a large red Spanish onion, the other two were large sweet Vidalias or Mauis. My adaptation is to finish them in a crockpot, which keeps them from drying out, double the bay leaves and use an entire head of garlic instead of a mere six cloves.

Place the following ingredients a large pot:

1 lb dried black beans, rinsed and sorted, soaked in 6 cups of water overnight, drained and rinsed again
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and trimmed
3 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
freshly grated black pepper, be generous

Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for two hours. The beans should be tender, and it is time to add the salt:
1/2 lb bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces, roughly separated

Put the bacon pieces in a crockpot, add the pot-full of tenderized beans, add a pinch of salt and cover with water plus an inch. Cover and cook on the Low setting overnight. They will be ready to eat a bowl for breakfast in the morning. They should have a hint of sweetness from the onions and bay leaves.

If you don’t have a crockpot, add the bacon and more water to the cooking pot. Slow simmer for another four hours, stirring occasionally. If they dry out, add olive oil to taste.

These beans are good warm, at room temperature, or cold. To reheat, stir a portion in a frying pan over medium heat; there is enough bacon grease in them to keep from sticking, or you can heat them in a microwave, the setting dependent on the amount.

Additional ways to eat these beans after they have been smashed with a hand held potato masher: Bring them to a Pot Luck; with a freshly grilled steak; over rice, or with Spanish rice; with enchiladas and other Mexican entrees; in a burrito with cheese; on a tostada, topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream and fresh salsa; hot or cold, wrapped in a leaf of romaine lettuce, plain or dipped in seasoned rice vinegar; hot or cold, spread onto a slice of crusty french bread, or garlic bread; hot or cold, a tasty dip with tortilla chips.