Albuquerque Pinto Beans

Serve them with everything, just like they do in the Duke City! Pinto beans are standard New Mexico fare. They are always served whole, never refried, and are prepared simply, often with only salt and water. Most farmer's markets and area grocery stores carry fresh, local beans, evidenced by their lighter color. (Dried pintos darken in color over time.) According to my grandmother, a long-time Albuquerque resident, pintos grown at high altitude have a better flavor. To test her theory, I prepared a locally-grown bag along with a grocery-store generic bag, and conducted a taste test. Grandma was right, of course! However, everyone did agree that the generic beans were delicious as well, so don't let a limited selection at your grocery store keep you from enjoying this recipe.

Prep time: 3 min

Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes / 8 hours

Ready in: 1 hour 13 minutes / 8 hours 3 minutes

Yields: 12 half-cup servings of beans

• 1 lb dry pinto beans
• 1 teaspoon Morton's Lite Salt (Why use Lite Salt?)
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chile powder (Note the "e")

Chile powder, with an "e", is usually packaged in a small bag, contains only one ingredient, ground red chile peppers, and is available from mild to x-hot. Chili powder, with an "i", is usually packaged in a spice jar and contains a blend of spices commonly used to prepare chili soup. If you have the blend on hand, and want to use it in this recipe, replace the chile powder with 2 teaspoons blend, and use half the amount of the other spices.

• Pressure Cooker: Combine beans, spices and 4 cups water in a pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 70 minutes. (Both natural and quick release work well.)
• Slow Cooker: Combine beans, spices and 7 1/2 cups water in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.