Title: Frijoles De la Olla
Categories: Mexican Vegetable Ethnic
Yield: 4 Servings

350	g	Black beans
		Lg onion, stuck w/8 cloves
4	tb	Bacon drippings or oil
1 1/2	ts	Salt
2	x	Epazote leaves, or a big handful of chopped fennel tops, t
1	tb	Fresh ground black pepper
TOPPINGS
		Queso nuevo or fetta crumbled
		Chopped fresh coriander
		Pickled jalapenos, sliced
		Grilled spring onions*

Clean beans throughly. Cover the beans in boiling water, bring back to the boil and boil hard for 5 mins. Let stand for 2 hrs. and drain. Pour 2 3/4 qts. boiling water over the beans and add in the onion, fat, and bring to a very gentle boil. Simmer over low heat for 1-2 hrs. until tender. Just before the end of cooking, add the herbs and salt. Discard the onion, puree a cup of the beans with their liquid and stir back into the beans in the pot to thicken. Serve in little bowls topped with the crumbled cheese and other toppings.

Black beans are served in Oaxaca with scrambled eggs, chillies and tomatoes as a rustic breakfast.

* A delicious side dish often served in Oaxaca is whole green onions that had been brushed wit oil and then chargrilled until slightly blackened around the edges, to be dipped in course salt.

From Remarkable Feasts by Leslie Forbes, Bloomsbury Press 0747506531 Typed by Joell Abbott 10/94

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