Pinto Bean Soup with Mexican Cream and Pine Nuts

Beans have a delicious and subtle flavor of their own that is brought out by slow, careful cooking. Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy the pure taste of the beans and their broth alone. However, there are several condiments that go wonderfully with beans, one of which is the thick Mexican cream, natas, which can be found in Mexican markets. Thick and silky, like Devon cream, natas are usually sold in plastic jars, but in larger markets, like the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles,