Tazón Rústico de Frijoles de la Olla al Aroma de Hoja de Aguacate
Tazón Rústico de Frijoles de la Olla
La Base de Todo (Salsas, Beans, and Foundations)
In Oaxaca, a simmering pot of black beans anchors the back burner. The unmistakable signature of those clay pots is the dried avocado leaf, yielding the scent of toasted anise seed—we don't all have three hours to babysit an olla on a Tuesday in Ohio, but you can cheat time without cheating the culture. By waking up your aromatics and violently frying the bean puree in hot, shimmering lard inside a heavy Dutch oven, you force that deep, slow-simmered flavor out of humble canned beans in twenty minutes flat, letting the bowl speak for itself.
Ingredients
- canned black beans30 oz
- dried avocado leaves3
- dried chiles de árbol2
- pork lard3 tbsp
- white onion1/2 med
- garlic cloves3 large
- kosher salt1 tsp
- queso fresco1/2 cup
- ripe avocado1 med
- corn tortillas8 small
Method
- 01
Wake up the aromatics.
Place a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat, tossing the dried avocado leaves and chiles for 10 to 30 seconds until they release a nutty, anise-like fragrance before crumbling them.
- 02
Blend the base.
Dump both cans of beans—liquid and all—into a blender with the toasted leaves and chiles, pureeing until smooth but still retaining a little rustic grit.
- 03
Caramelize the foundation.
Return the skillet to medium-high, melt the lard, and sauté the chopped onion and whole garlic cloves aggressively for 6 to 8 minutes until they achieve a dark brown char, then pulse them into the blender mixture.
- 04
Fry the puree.
Carefully pour the blended bean puree directly into the reserved hot lard in the skillet, standing back as it spits and sizzles violently to cook out the canned taste and build instant depth.
- 05
Simmer to a velvet finish.
Stir well to emulsify the fat, drop the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until thickened to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes, seasoning generously with salt before serving.
Notes
The Avocado Leaf Workaround.
If you can't find dried Mexican avocado leaves, do not use leaves from a standard Hass tree—they are toxic and lack the required essential oils. Instead, toast 1/2 teaspoon of fennel or ajwain seeds in the dry skillet. They perfectly mimic the authentic anise and hazelnut notes of the traditional leaf.
The Weekend Olla.
If you have the time to cook from scratch, simmer 1 pound of dried black beans with 8 cups of water, half an onion, garlic, and 3 toasted avocado leaves for two hours. Crucially, withhold the salt until the final 15 minutes of cooking, or the bean skins will turn irreparably tough.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.