This tasty speckled bean thrives in the hot arid weather of the southwest and Mexico. It is a good source of incomplete protein, amino acids, vitamin B, and minerals. The full flavor of pinto beans is best obtained by overnight soaking and long, slow cooking – 4 hours of simmering will do, but if you can leave them to bubble gently on the back of the stove all day, so much the better. Use 3-5 cups water to every cup of beans.
Pinto beans, which incidentally lose their spots with cooking, are used in soups, stews, cold salads, and the Mexican frijoles refritos (refried beans).
