Borrachos

Drunken beans are an old family favorite. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before but at our house, we never had mac and cheese. When mother was too tired to deal with us, we had tacos. Looking back, it was a lot more work than I thought but the results were worth it.

I’ve been making them a lot lately, mostly because my local grocery here in Napa has good Hatch chiles from New Mexico for 69 cents a pound. My way with Borrachos isn’t traditional but I love them.

I start with our Flor de Junios (called Silvias) but Moro or Eye of the Goat would be great too. Rinse, clean and soak.

For a pound, I use about 3 slices of bacon and cut them up. Cook them until crispy.

After the bacon cooks, remove the pieces with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat. Now add a big red onion and some garlic. You should have enough fat left over, but if not, add a little olive oil. Once the onions and garlic are soft, add the beans and their soaking water and cook until soft. As they cook and you need to add more liquid, use a Negro Modelo (or some other good beer).

Once the beans are soft and nearly done, salt and add some roasted, peeled and chopped chiles. I used Hatch but you can use some poblanos or even Anaheims.

Finally, add the bacon pieces right before serving.

It’s that simple!