Great balls of fire,

love those peppers!

Capsicum annuum

Spicy food at every turn here in Mexico

John & I heard someone remark that Mexican men lived on the average of 10 years longer than their north of the border contemporaries, peppers being the reason. Don't know how truthful the statement is but there are alot peppers consumed in Mexico. The size, colors & species are really overwhelming in the grocery stores here. Even by Texas standards there seems to be a truck load of variety here.

This popular bean dish is originally from around Monterrey, Neuvo Leon, one of the first regions to enjoy beer! This recipe is a meal by itself!

Frijoles Borrachos~Drunken Beans

1 lb. Pinto Beans
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 c. Cilantro, chopped
3 slices Bacon
1/2 lb. fine-ground Chorizo (Mexican Sausage)
1/2 c. Water
1 Med. Tomato, sliced
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Chili Ancho~Dried Red Chili found with peppers
2-3 Chili Petines~Dried & threaded onto a toothpick for retrieval later on!
4 oz. flat Beer
In a large pot bring Pinto beans to boil & soak with cover on & fire off for 1 hr. In the same pot bring the beans to boil again & add garlic, salt, cilantro, chilis petine & bacon. Continue to add water when necessary. When done, beans should be soft texture. Separately, brown Chorizo for about 15 min. Boil tomato slices & whole Chili Ancho & Serrano peppers in water for 10 min., then blend until smooth in a blender. Mix with Chorizo into beans & add beer. Simmer another 15-25 min. Serve hot with fresh tortillas.

*Mexican Bean Pot

*Bandera Mexican Bean Pot The bandera style of pottery is quite distinctive, as it is thusly named because of its red, white and green colors - the same colors that comprise Mexico's bandera nacional (national flag). Red is commonly used as the background color, while the green and white are used for the decorative details.