Pinto beans are the original ingredient of Mexican refried beans: this orange-pink bean with rust-coloured specks grows across Latin America and the American South-west.
Homemade beans on toast
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Pinto beans need soaking for several hours before cooking, preferably overnight. Add a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda to speed things up. An even quicker method is to bring them to the boil in a pan then turn the heat off and soak them for about an hour covered.
Always discard the soaking water, rinse and cook in fresh water without any salt (which toughens the skins). When bought canned, the beans are already cooked and only need draining and rinsing before heating.
Allow about 55g/2oz dried weight per person. Once soaked and cooked they'll at least double in weight. Canned pulses need to be rinsed thoroughly in a colander, as they're often stored in sweetened or salted water that can overpower your cooking.
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