Frijoles puercos (pork beans)

Today I will present to you a different way of preparing a simple but delicious traditional Mexican recipe for beans. This traditional Mexican side dish is one of my favorite dishes. I love food, especially my Mexican food. Frijoles puercos is simply translated to pork beans. This recipe is just one of the many ways to cook beans. I am not a great cook as a matter of fact I am not a cook at all, but I try my best. The kitchen is not really my friend, so I must be very careful whenever I enter that zone. After a long day at work, I can only cook quick and simple meals on a daily basis.

Frijoles puercos is a traditional side dish from Nayarit, Mexico, where my mother was born. My mother was raised in a small poor village where frijoles puercos were served as a side dish only as part of a great feast celebration such as weddings, quinceañeras (a young lady’s XV year celebration), first communions, etc. As she explained to me, pork chorizo was an ingredient that was not so affordable for her family of 11. My mother explained to me that her family was so poor that they would only be able to eat beans cooked in water and salt. Now, we prepare frijoles puercos almost on a daily basis they became part of a daily meal. This dish has a symbolic meaning to me because 26 years ago my mother thought that frijoles puercos was a side dish that deserved to be prepared as part of a big celebration. In my mother’s eyes, her only daughter’s wedding feast deserved to have frijoles puercos. From that day forward, frijoles puercos became part of a possible daily meal in my home. This is how this food connects with me now.

The way I prepare these frijoles puercos is a quick and simple way.  Frijoles puercos are not difficult to make and do not include many ingredients. My simple recipe includes the following ingredients: cooked beans (I like to use pinto beans for this side dish), pork chorizo, sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, and queso fresco (part skim milk cheese). The ingredients do not have to be of a specific brand.  

I like to make frijoles puercos because it is one of the few ways I like to eat beans. The other way I like to eat them is when they have been cooked in plain water with salt. They are nice and hot directly from the pot (frijoles de la olla). I cook the pinto beans in water with salt with no other ingredients. I mash the beans in a sauté pan once they’re cooked, I set them aside. On another pan, I cook the pork chorizo until it begins to darken, then set it aside as well. The sliced pickled jalapeño peppers must be drained. I grate the cheese so that it can be easy to drizzle over the finished dish. Once the chorizo is browned, I transfer the beans over to the pan, add the jalapeño peppers, and mix everything over low heat. Once the ingredients are mixed, I drizzle the grated cheese over them. All there is left is to enjoy.