- 12
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans (I used unsoaked beans, but if you want to soak the beans they will cook a bit more quickly)
- 1 T + 2 T olive oil (use olive oil for South Beach Diet, but if you're not a dieter you can use lard or bacon grease)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 T minced garlic
- 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles (I used Anaheim chiles, but you can use hotter chiles if you prefer.)
- 1 tsp. salt
- grated cheese, for serving (I used four cheese Mexican blend, which is a fairly low-fat mix of cheeses)
- thinly sliced green onions, for serving
Preparation
Step 1
Put beans in pressure cooker with enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Add 1 T olive oil to cooker, then lock lid, bring to high pressure, and cook 30 minutes (probably only about 20 minutes for soaked beans.) After 30 minutes, turn off heat and let pressure release naturally. (I think you could also release the pressure quickly if you were in a hurry, since the beans will be mashed anyway.)
When pressure has released, add chopped onion, minced garlic, canned green chiles, and salt. Lock lid again and pressure cook 10 minutes, then let pressure release naturally. (Again, I think you could release pressure quickly if you wanted to.)
When pressure has released the second time, remove lid and without draining, mash or puree beans to desired consistency. I like my beans rather creamy, so I used my immersion blender, being very careful not to over blend and liquefy the beans. At this point, beans will definitely be more runny than you want, but I like the idea of keeping the flavor that's in the cooking water.
When beans are as smooth or chunky as you prefer, heat 2 T oil in a heavy, nonstick pan. Add beans and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beans have thickened to desired consistency. For me this took about 10 minutes. Serve hot, topped with grated cheese and thinly sliced green onions if desired.