Appetites Ignite: #6 A little beer is always good….

So what’s the Mexican staple we can’t live without? ….the pair that can’t do without each other, the Romeo and Juliet of all fajitas - it’s beans and rice. I know what you’re thinking – Why couldn’t I just crack open a can of refried beans and cook up a box of Spanish rice? Is it really that necessary to go to all the trouble? Umm… I guarantee you will never go back to the off-the-shelf dregs once you’ve tried this. My version adds so much more flavor than your traditional Mexican restaurant. …and one of the perks – you get to drink the rest of the beer that you don’t use :)

It really doesn’t take that long either. Maybe 5 minutes of prep time for the rice and 10-15 for the beans (and soak the beans overnight) – I usually put it on during lunch at the house and let it cook the rest of the day while I’m at work. Here’s some tips to my recipes – fry the bacon a little in the pan first then drain out some of the fat. Add the onions in and let them fry a little till translucent.

…then I added the diced tomatoes to the pan to let them cook out a little as well. I feel that pan frying give it some flavor before going into the slow cooker. It’s so colorful and almost makes you want to spoon it over chicken and dive in (and in case you noticed, i added a small can of chopped mild green chilies to the pan as well - it's not in the recipe because i had it in the cabinet and just thought it would taste good).

Once you’ve cooked all that a little, dump in into the slow cooked with the beans and water. Dump in the Rotel as well with all the spices and just let it cook away on low. Not until about 30 minutes before you eat do you need to add the cilantro and beer. I used Bud Light Lime – something you wouldn’t mind drinking afterwards because you will have some left over.

Forgot to take a picture that night because I was so vested in eating the food – so here’s a picture the next day :)

Borracho Beans (Drunken beans) – almost like a bean soup
1 lb. pinto beans, uncooked
4 bacon slices, chopped
½ Tbls chopped garlic
1 onion, chopped
½ Tbls cumin
½ Tbls chili powder
1 ½ Tbls salt
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves chopped
1 ½ cups of beer

Soak beans in water for 8 hours. Drain when ready to use.

Place beans in slow cooked and add water to cover beans (I usually add a little more water as well because I like using it for Mexican gumbo too – see below). Set to low.

In a skillet, cook bacon until a lot of the fat has rendered. Discard ¾ of the fat and add the onion to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic – cooked for another 3 minutes. Add to slow-cooker. To slow-cooker, add in spices and cover. Cook for 5-6 hours.

30 minutes before serving, add chopped cilantro and beer to slow-cooker. Add salt if necessary. Enjoy!

Leftovers are even better the next day. What’s equally scrumptious is my Mexican Gumbo – just cook up a little white rice and grill a whole sausage. Chop into a bowl with the white rice and the Borracho beans and you’re good to go. Yummmm!!!!

Spicy Spanish Rice
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1.5 cups water
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel)
2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
1.5 teaspoon salt

With your medium saucepan, fry the onion in the oil until slightly browned. Add the rice and cook for a minute. Stir in water and Rotel. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

The rice is a snap to make – as the pictures entail, cook the onions a little beforehand in the same pot. Then add the Rotel, rice, water chili powder, and salt – then just simmer away!