Spiced Red Beans (Mexican Style Beans)

Rinse 1 kg of red kidney beans and place them in a pressure cooker with 1.5 L of already heated water.

Cover the pot and, once it reaches full pressure, let it cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.

In another pot, heat one tablespoon of soybean oil over medium-high heat and fry 150g of bacon cut into small cubes until very crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.

In the same pan, add 300g of ground beef and let it brown well, until it is dry, similar to ground beef prepared for empanadas.

Season the ground beef by adding one teaspoon of spicy paprika, one teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, four cloves of minced garlic, and one teaspoon of salt. Mix well and increase the heat.

Add one finely minced whole onion and sauté for 2 minutes until translucent. Next, add 4 to 5 tablespoons of chopped bell pepper (preferably red) and two whole Fresno chilies with seeds removed.

Stir in one tomato diced into very small cubes (almost a puree) and one cup of tomato sauce (or 3 tablespoons of tomato paste). Let the sauce simmer vigorously for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Incorporate one teaspoon of Bahian seasoning blend (or cilantro) into the sauce and mix.

Add the cooked beans with their broth to the seasoning pan. Add 300 ml of water (just enough to wash down the pan where the beans were cooked) and mix well. Let it boil to finish cooking.

Turn off the heat and finish by stirring in the reserved bacon, fresh oregano, thyme (if using), and plenty of chopped green onions, mixing gently.