For Nopalito chef and owner Gonzalo Guzman, preparing Mexican food is all about using pristine seasonal ingredients and cooking them simply. Growing up in the coastal city of Catemaco in Veracruz, Mexico, everything his family ate was what they grew themselves on their farm. It was seasonal and farm-to-table out of necessity, as there were no grocery stores or farmers markets nearby.

“I ate whatever we grew on our farm, so coming to the US and cooking at places like Nopa made sense, since it’s how I grew up,” says Guzman, who likes cooking simply to let the ingredients shine. “If you get the best beans, you don't need to do anything to them to make them taste good.”

Chef Guzman uses Rancho Gordo pinquito beans for the Mexican standard of frijoles de la olla, which translates into beans cooked in a clay pot. The small pink beans cook creamy but keep their shape, with a deliciously rich broth that you can serve with the beans. Growing up Guzman would enjoy them as is with a sprinkle some fresh epazote herb, queso fresco, or a drizzle of salsa macha.

Once you have a pot of cooked beans, you can refry them and use the bean broth to control the consistency, and the amount you smash them to control the texture. Drier and less smashed work great as a side with rice and veggies, crushed into a finer texture are best for gorditas or sopes.

“Depending on how you manage the bean broth, you can do many different things with exactly the same recipe,” says Guzman.

Chef Guzman does have one trick for cooking beans: braising them in the oven. He finds that they cook evenly, don’t break apart, and the beans end up with a better texture than boiled on the stovetop.

Cooking a pot of pinquito beans for the week can provide a versatile and delicious ingredient that is great on its own in a bowl or refried into a variety of dishes.

Recipe reprinted with permission from the cookbook Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2017).

Frijoles Pinquitos De La Olla

In Spanish, de la olla means "cooked in a clay pot," which is how dried beans were traditionally prepared in Mexico. The old grandmas used to say that everything cooked in a clay pot would taste better, but to me, the real secret is using the best-quality beans you can find. Our favorite type is Rancho Gordo pinquito beans, which are slightly smaller than pinto beans and come out creamy and not mushy.

Makes 6 cups

• 2 cups dried pinquito beans (preferably Rancho Gordo Santa Maria Pinquitos) or pinto beans
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more as needed
• 1 large dried guajillo chile, stemmed and seeded
• ¼ white onion wedge, sliced root to stem

In a large pot, Mexican olla, or Dutch oven, add the beans, water, salt, chile, and onion slices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and let cook until the beans are tender and creamy but not falling apart, about 1½ hours. (Alternatively, you can simmer the beans covered in a 350°F oven for 2½ hours.) Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight and reheat before serving.

Writing by Lou Bustamante; recipe and photography by Nopalito

We are thrilled to have Lou Bustamante (@thevillagedrunk) doing some guest writing for our blog. He'll be featuring a handful of our favorite bean-friendly spots in the Bay Area. Lou is a skilled freelance writer and journalist, with over 14 years experience food writing for local and national publications, including authoring two books.