One huge advantage of cooking your own dried beans over opening a can of commercial beans is the pot liquor. Most recipes have you actually rinse the beans in cool water to remove the slimy liquid that envelops canned beans. When you cook the beans yourself, the cooking liquid is a prize!
This last weekend I made a fresh pot of Rosa de Castilla beans. I used only onion, garlic and a small spoonful of lard from my Mexican butcher to flavor the beans and the liquid was incredible. It’s not just the fat and aromatics that made the liquid sing, it’s the bean essence that’s been released through the thin skin of the Rosa de Castillas. I could have added a ham-bone of some kind but then I’d have ham liquid, not bean liquid. I love all kinds of pork but I’d rather add it after, if it all, because in reality, the beans don’t need the help.
For breakfast, I scrambled some eggs and then added them to a small bowl. I then smothered the scrambled eggs with mostly bean broth and then some beans. I grated a little Parmesan cheese and crumbled some Mexican oregano to finish. Easy and incredible.
