One of Mesa’s most requested recipes, this pinto dish packs serious flavor thanks to a smoky red chile sofrito. Chef Steve Riley says the spicy sauce is useful to keep on hand because it’s also great in soups, stews, braises, rice, and marinades.

BEANS

  • 2 cups New Mexico pinto beans, washed      and sorted 
  • 10 cups water 
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with a knife
  • 1 jalapeño, slit open but still intact
  • 2–3 tablespoons red chile sofrito (see recipe below)
  • Salt

RED CHILE SOFRITO

  • ⅓ cup garlic, minced 
  • ⅓ cup shallot, minced 
  • 1 ounce vegetable oil 
  • 4 ounces tomato paste 
  • 1½ tablespoons smoked paprika 
  • 1 tablespoon hot New Mexico red chile powder 
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1½ teaspoons salt 
  • 1 ounce dry white wine
  • 1 cup roasted red bell peppers, peeled, seeded, and finely minced 

Makes 6 cups

BEANS

  1. Combine beans, water, oregano, garlic, and jalapeño in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil.
  2. Lower heat and simmer for 3 hours, until beans are soft and not starchy.
  3. Stir in sofrito and salt to taste.

RED CHILE SOFRITO

  1. In a saucepan on medium heat, sweat garlic and shallots in oil, until soft and aromatic. Do not brown.
  2. Add tomato paste, smoked paprika, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes. The mixture will be thick.
  3. Add wine and cook for an additional minute.
  4. Add roasted red peppers and lower heat to a gentle simmer, stirring often for 10–15 minutes (if mixture is too thick, add a small amount of stock).
  5. Cool and store in fridge until ready to add to beans, up to two weeks.

This recipe originally appeared in "Deeply Rooted" by Candolin Cook.