You don’t have to look far within the food blogosphere to find someone proclaiming breathlessly the superiority of Rancho Gordo dried beans from California's Napa Valley—but even a food-budget-scorning legume-lover like myself has reservations about paying $6-$8/lb. for beans, no matter how special. 

That said, I bought a pound recently, taken in by the wild good looks of their black-and-white vaquero beans (along with Rancho Gordo’s appealing packaging), and devised this dramatically–but not untraditionally—spiced “pot of beans” recipe to highlight their wonderfully assertive flavor and creamy texture. 

If you can’t buy Rancho Gordo beans locally—or don’t want to make the investment—your favorite dried kidneys would work here. Cook these until the consistency is to your liking: serve a thicker version on a plate alongside sautéed greens, or make them soupier and serve with cornbread, buttered toast, or saltines. These freeze and refrigerate well, and leftovers taste even better reheated after a night in the fridge.

Cowboy beans

1 lb. vaquero beans (you can use kidney), soaked overnight and cooked with kombu and 2 bay leaves, with 2 cups cooking water reserved
1/4 lb bacon, diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef stock
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
sea salt to taste

Cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon pieces with slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. Cook onions in bacon fat with a generous pinch of salt until soft. Add garlic and spices, and cook, stirring, one minute. Add stock, coffee, beans, and several pinches of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook, partially covered, about 60 minutes or until beans have reached desired texture, adding additional reserved bean cooking liquid if beans become too dry (this is unlikely). Season to taste with sea salt and serve.

[Loose vaquero beans image from lewinski on Flickr]

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