Pot-cooked Beans

Every Mexican home has a special glazed pottery olla (pot) for the basic cooked beans—frijoles de la olla. It’s as simple a dish as you could find, but there are some rules. It is important not to add salt until the beans are partway done, otherwise they will not be tender. If you need to add more water during the cooking, make sure it is boiling hot, otherwise the beans will be dark and unappealing.

Many people add a sprig of epazote to the cooking water for beans—the