Frijolitos & Nopales

Put some music on, light a candle, and sort through the beans, removing any pebbles or bad beans. There won’t be a ton, but you may find 1 or 2 in each bag of beans. Put the beans in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cool running water. Drain well.

Transfer the beans to a large pot, Dutch oven, or cured olla de barro and pour in enough water to cover the beans by about 4 inches. Add the onion halves, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Cook the beans over medium-low heat for about 2½ hours, without covering or stirring, until tender. Throughout the cooking process, the beans should be at a soft boil-adjust the heat accordingly. The water will evaporate, so you will need to add 1 cup hot water every 30 minutes.

Once the beans are done (you can check the doneness by mashing a single cooked bean with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula: it should mash like softened butter), add the jalapeño or serrano pepper, olive oil, and salt. Stir, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 more minutes. The liquid in the pot, now a bean broth, should be reduced and slightly thickened. Taste the beans and broth and add more salt if needed.

Before serving, remove the bay leaves. (You can also remove the garlic and onion, but I like to leave them in.) Serve the beans hot with a few ladles of broth, topped with chopped cilantro.