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 tsp. 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.

Leftovers are the beginnings of fajitas extraordinaire...for tomorrow nite with Spanish rice.