Rice and Beans

Quick, tasty, healthful, and cheap! Quite simple as well, although one could imagine a few variations. This serves two, with plenty of leftovers:

- 1 cup of pinto beans, soaked overnight in cold water
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the back of a knife
- 1 bay leaf
- 1400 g can of whole tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste

Start by cooking the beans: drain the beans, put them in a pressure cooker, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and a slug of olive oil. Close the pressure cooker and place it over medium-high heat. Once the cooker reaches pressure, lower the heat to low and let it cook for 15 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, sweat the onion, garlic and bay leave in olive oil in a large saute pan. Once soft, add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands. Slowly cook the tomatoes until a nice sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper. You may add a bit of the cooking liquid if it becomes too dry.

Add the drained beans along with some cooking liquid. Bring to a boil and them reduce to low. Let it cook slowly, being careful not to burn or to let it become dry. Once all the flavors have melt, serve at once with a green salad and white rice. Hot sauce goes quite well with this. Alternatively, add a teaspoon or so o chilli flakes when frying the onion and garlic.