Slow-cooked ranch beans with ancho chili peppers

Ingredients

• 500 g of dried pinto or yellow beans
• 6 ancho chili peppers (or mild or hot paprika, or ñora chili peppers)
• 6 cloves of Allium sativum (garlic)
• 1 chopped onion
• 500 g of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of paprika
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 240 ml of water (1 cup)
• 1 cup of meat broth
• olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda

Place the beans in a pot or bowl with the baking soda, and let them soak overnight.

In a preheated pan, cook the ancho chili peppers for 2 minutes on each side, then turn off the heat, cover them with water, and let them soften and rehydrate for about half an hour.

In the pot that will be used to cook the beans, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Pour the onion and garlic sofrito into a blender with the tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water, and rehydrated ancho chili peppers. Blend until you have a smooth sauce.

In the pot for the sofrito, add the drained beans, meat broth, and blended sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for two hours, stirring occasionally.

The cooking time depends on the freshness of the beans: sometimes an hour is enough, so it’s best to keep an eye on them.