Frijoles de la olla...Beans in their broth.......There are about ten thousand different variations of this theme, each one an original classic and the real thing the family cook will tell you! Today, frijoles de la olla are a traditional Mexican or Southwestern accompaniment that can't be done without for a proper meal.
 
Truth is, frijoles de la olla are about the most basic food- the most basic of Mexican side dishes- simple, unadorned and whose history predates the written word itself; beans boiled in an earthenware pot have been known to be eaten by the peoples of the Americas before their written language.

Original frijoles de la olla are beans cooked in their own broth with salt and little else. Here is my version of this flag-bearing standard. The ham shanks are purely optional, included in my version from a secret recipe shared to me by an owner of a tex-mex joint in Castroville, California (artichoke capital of the world). He and his wife, who ran the small place, put in this delicious bit of Southern style meat that I think makes all the difference in the world to a bowl of frijoles. 
 
Here's the goods, the chiles are Serranos from the garden- 
 
Proper frijoles need lard, plain and simple. Be they refritos, olla, or any other frijoles, they need lard. Not a lot, but any substitue is shortchanging the dish. If you are not willing to use such a tiny bit, then you should be making a salad instead. I toss in about 4 or 5 slices of pork belly. Two TBSP pure rendered lard is equivalent. The belly adds a meaty taste. 
 
Once the slices start to render out, add one whole chopped onion, and brown over medium heat. 
 
While they brown, rinse the 2 LBS beans in several iterations of fresh cool water. Stir well with your hand to suspend any particles, then drain and repeat until the water runs clear. If you don't the end result will give your beans a muddy flavor. For those who might be wondering, no - I didn't soak my beans. I was talking to a guy at work earlier this week and he said he never soaked his beans and they turned out better, so I tried it. It was great and a LOT less hassle. Just make sure to rinse them well first and you'll be okay. These pintos and habichuelas were fine with no soaking.
 
After the onions brown, add 6 quarts of cold water to the pot, then bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water rolls, then add the 2 ham shanks and about 3 or 4 TBSP sea salt. Sea salt seems to add a better flavor than regular fine standard table salt. I think it might be due to the minerals in the sea salt, or the brine dried in the crystals...who knows. In any event, it does make the pot taste better.
 
Let water come back to high boil. 
 
At this point add the drained beans, keep heat on high until water begins to roll again, then reduce to medium heat (this will still keep a steady, gentle boil which is what you want) 
 
Add about 6 or 7 cloves of fresh garlic 
 
And the five or six Serrano peppers cut into thirds, seeds and all.
  
Then toss in about 4 or 5 bay leaves and let boil for several hours, stirring occasionally. Don't cover as you want the water to reduce until just at the bean level by the time they are done. 
 
Over medium heat there is a gentle rolling boil- perfect. At the two hour mark I'll add the remaining couple ingredients that make my frijoles special. More pics to come.... 

(later)

After about 2 1/2 hours, maybe 3...the pot should look like this. The meat is falling off the bones and the broth a rich color. The beans are almost perfectly done.... 

My secret ingredients for depth and flavor, the ones that take this beyond an ordinary bowl of frijoles de la olla, are these three simple ones: brown sugar (2 TBSP), ground coriander (1 TBSP) and Mexican oregano (2 TBSP). 

Add these to the pot, stir well and let simmer for another half an hour or so. By then the meat has fallen off the shank-bones, the beans are perfectly soft and the broth a rich and deep liquid from all the ingredients.  

If you need to, pull the chunks of meat and bones from the pot, discard the bones and dice up the meat then put it back in. If you want to thicken it up, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of Masa Harina, the stuff you buy to make corn tortillas. Go easy though cause it thickens up real fast. For a pot the size I made I'd start with 1 maybe 2 tablsepoons max, unitl it cooked through and the consistency was finalized. Masa swells and thickens with cooking. 

Here we are : a delicious, high-protein, nutrient rich dish that has fed peoples over thousands of generations....and still maintains its simple dignity.