Three ways with Mexican braised pinto beans

Cooking time: 3 hours 30 minutes. Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus overnight soaking. Serves: 4-6.

You’ll need

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2 tbsp olive oil

3 onions, finely chopped

1 head of garlic, halved widthways

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp ground cumin

500g dried pinto beans, soaked in water overnight

1 dried fioras secas pepper 2 dried guindilla peppers 3 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered

2 bay leaves

A few sprigs of thyme

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 litres water

Sea salt flakes

Cooked rice

Method

1. Braised beans: Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole dish over a medium-low heat, add the onions and sweat them gently for 30 minutes until they become soft and golden. Add the garlic bulb halves for the last few minutes, cut side down, and fry until they begin to caramelise. Add the ground coriander and cumin and fry for a minute or two, stirring, then drain the beans and add them to the dish along with the dried peppers, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Pour over the water, cover with a lid and cook gently over a low heat for 2-3 hours, until the sauce has reduced to a soupy consistency. The peppers will break down into the sauce as they cook. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaves and check for seasoning, before serving with rice.

2. Sopas Tarasca: Add 200ml of hot chicken or vegetable stock to 500g of the braised beans and blend until very smooth.

3. Refried beans: Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil or lard in a frying pan. Add 500g of the braised beans, mash with a potato masher and fry over a medium-high heat while moving them constantly. You want the beans to be drying out a little and to allow some crispy caramelisation.