The Capsule Pantry: Pinto Beans with Oregano-Garlic Oil

My love affair with beans knows no bounds

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Delicious to eat, horrible to photograph

I’ve grown rather fond of beans.

Actually, that’s very Britishly understated of me - I freaking ADORE beans. I want to live in a vat of them.

But until I lived in Spain, I had no idea how glorious beans could really be. Growing up in Britain, my only experience of beans cans of Heinz Baked Beans. Delicious of course, but not that interesting. And always from a can, never made from dried.

It turns out, learning the secrets of dried beans changes everything.

This week, my husband and I hit Sarajevo in Bosnia, a place not known for its food scene. But they do love grah (beans). So I dutifully popped to the local store, and collected a handful of dried pinto beans. I wanted to add Chorizo or pancetta to the mix, but I was in a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) store, so of course, there was no pig to be found.

Instead, I storecupboard-foraged, smashing up a garlic clove with some olive oil, salt and a generous pinch of Albanian oregano I picked up whilst in the country a couple of weeks ago.

Friends, it was a revelation. Adding the garlic and oregano as a garnish - rather than during cooking - delivers such a punch of flavor, you’ll be floored - by the garlic if nothing else.

A big steaming bowl of beans is such an incredibly versatile dish. The original recipe below is the most simple version you can do (which is what I made here in Bosnia) then I’ve added as many variations as I can at the end of the recipe, including a great way to use leftovers.

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