From the Salpicon Cookbook... Salpicon is one of our dear friend Eugene's favorite restaurants in Chicago. Many of the recipes are rather labor-intensive/many components... but this one is faster than I expected a bean recipe could be and oh-so-tasty!
Start-to-finish takes about 2 hours if you manage your time well :-)
2 c. (1 lb) pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
3 quarts water
1.5 t sea salt
8 oz bacon, cut cross-wise into 1/4" pieces
3 poblano chiles, seeded, deveined, and chopped*
1 white onion, chopped
4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded & diced
* I suggest roasting them (as described in Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup), chopping and adding them near the end of cooking. The first time I made this, I roasted/chopped and added them at the beginning and the flavor was largely lost by the time the beans were tender.
Put the beans in a large pot and add the water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir in the salt and remove from heat.
Cook bacon in Dutch oven until almost crisp. Add the chiles (if NOT roasted) and onions and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, their cooking liquid, and the tomatoes. If needed, add enough cold water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low and partially cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Add chiles (IF roasted) after beans have cooked about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve hot.
