Beans, Salsa and Tortillas

• For the Beans
• Rinse the beans two or three times, running the beans through your fingers into the colander, looking to remove rocks, pebbles. Pour rinsed beans into a large pot and fill the pot one inch from the top with water. Soak the beans overnight.
• Next day, add garlic, scallions and cook at your lowest possible setting for about 8 hours adding water as needed.
• When the beans are tender, fat and pink...the water will be cooked out of them. They will taste flat.
• Add salt until the flavor comes out. Start with at least one half tsp. Add salt to your own taste...could be as much as 2 tsp.
• Turn beans off. When ready to eat, reheat the beans until piping hot (if you add more water, always cook the water out before serving).

For the Salsa

• Add chilis, tomatoes, celery & onions into a bowl.
• Add lots of coarse ground pepper, half teaspoon salt, one whole lemon squeezed of its juice, vinegar, one splash of balsamic . No, make that two splashes.
• Slowly pour olive oil, until you see a few bubbles floating on top.

  (A rule of thumb is one part oil to two part vinegar).
• Taste. Add some salt. If it is flat tasting, add a little more vinegar or lemon, pepper or salt.
• This creates a mild salsa. The longer, the salsa sits in the refrigerator, the hotter the flavor. However, if you want a kick tonight, add one half of a single jalapeno pepper.

  For salsa maniacs, add entire can of jalapenos. Guaranteed to be on fire and make your forehead sweat.
• You are ready to serve SOUL FOOD FROM THE GODS. Place beers, limes, spoons, forks, plates, napkins on the table. Set the pot of beans on a hotplate with a big slotted ladle. Bring stack of heated wrapped tortillas.
• Grab the salsa bowl. Place tortilla on plate, ladle in beans, salsa and roll up tortilla. If you are a gringo, add sour cream and avocado. Umm....first bite, you'll have died and gone to heaven.