Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

1 pound dried pinto beans
2 tablespoon pork lard, preferably homemade (olive oil can be used, but the taste will not be as authentic)
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3-4 whole allspice berries or whole cloves
Several sprigs of fresh thyme amd Italian parsley
2 bay leaves
1/2 a small peeled carrot
1 3-4 inch center stalk of celery with leaves
1-2 teaspoon of salt to taste
A few grinds of black pepper

Cover dried pintos with water to one inch above the beans, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and allow to soak for 30 minutes or overnight. Drain.

In a heavy-bottomed casserole, heat the lard and sauté the onion until translucent.

Add the cumin and oregano and allow them to bloom in the fat.

Add the drained beans. Wrap the bay leaves, celery, carrot, thyme, parsley, and allspice berries or cloves in cheesecloth tied with butcher's twine and add to pot (or they can be added loose and fished out with tongs later on). Do not add salt at the beginning or the beans will not soften enough.

Cover with an inch or two of water, bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer partially covered for at least 2-3 hours, periodically stirring and adding hot water to keep the beans covered.

After 1 hour, add a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Continue cooking until the beans are very soft. (Zora says: "I often start them in the morning and cook them on lwo heat all day, adding water to make sure they don't burn.")

When very soft, remove the packet of aromatics. Purée the beans with an immersion blender or mash with a potato masher and wooden spoon until they are a lumpy purée. If they seem too soupy, continue cooking to evaporate some of the liquid, taking care that they don't burn. If too thick, add water. Taste and add more salt if needed.

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