Frijoles Gordos Ó Ayocotes
"Fat Beans Or Ayocotes"
From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8
Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Frijoles Gordos Ó Ayocotes
"Limpios los ayocotes, se ponen á cocer con un poco de agua de tequesquite y en una cazuela con manteca se frien ajos y cebollas picadas; después se echan los ayocotes sin caldo á que se sarcochen, y cuando lo estén, se les agrega el agua correspondiente y sal fina: se muele un puño de los mismos frijoles con pimienta, clavo, canela y un bizcocho duro; se echa todo en los frijoles, y mientras dan un hervor se frie bien carne de puerco en trozos con longaniza, chorizón, rellena y chicharrón, agregando esto á los frijoles se deja hervir á que se cuezan bien y que queden espesos, apartándose luego y adornando el platón."
English Translation
"Once the ayocotes are cleaned, cook them with a little tequesquite water, and in a pan with lard, fry chopped garlic and onions; then add the beans without their broth to sauté, and once they are sautéed, add the appropriate amount of water and fine salt. Grind a handful of the same beans with pepper, clove, cinnamon, and a hard biscuit; add this mixture to the beans, and while they come to a boil, fry pieces of pork with sausage, chorizón, rellena, and pork cracklings in another pan. Add all this to the beans, let it boil until well cooked and thick, then remove from the heat and arrange decoratively on a serving platter."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in a narrative style, lacking strict measurements or exact times, reflecting the oral traditions and the domestic knowledge of the era. The spelling and grammar are of late 19th-century Spanish, with capitalized nouns ('Limpios los ayocotes') and older verbs ('sarcochen'—an archaic form meaning 'to sauté or dry-cook'). Instructions flow according to the logic of the cook’s actions, not a list of steps. Ingredients like tequesquite are no longer common, so a modern substitute (baking soda) is suggested for boiling beans.
Title
La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8 (1890)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Era
1890
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful pocket-sized treasure from the 'Cocina en el bolsillo' series, this volume stirs up a medley of flavorful recipes for adventurous cooks eager to savor the tastes of yesteryear.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe hails from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8', an 1890 booklet by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, a publisher famed for capturing the everyday tastes of late 19th-century Mexico. The recipe comes from a world in which beans (particularly the robust ayocotes) were central to the kitchen, providing hearty nourishment for families. Such rich, meaty stews were festive dishes, combining indigenous ingredients like ayocote beans and tequesquite (a mineral salt used before widespread iodized salt) with Spanish culinary influences, such as chorizo and various pork products. The booklet sought to democratize culinary knowledge by making these recipes pocket-sized and accessible to city dwellers and rural cooks alike.
In its original context, this recipe would have been prepared on a rural or urban wood-fired stove, using a clay cazuela (shallow casserole dish) for both frying and simmering. Beans would have been cooked in clay pots or large iron cauldrons. Grinding spices and bread for thickening was done in a stone metate or with a hand mill. Simple kitchen knives, wooden stirring spoons, and clay serving platters would round out the cook's arsenal. There was no refrigeration, so meats were likely cured or purchased freshly slaughtered, and stale bread was a culinary resource rather than waste.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings
6
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 18 oz ayocote beans (substitute with dried butter beans if needed)
- 6 1/3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (to mimic tequesquite mineral salt)
- 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 oz stale bread or 1 hard biscuit
- 7 oz pork shoulder, cut in pieces
- 3.5 oz Mexican chorizo (or spicy sausage)
- 3.5 oz blood sausage (optional)
- 1.75 oz pork cracklings (chicharrón)
Instructions
- Begin by cleaning 18 oz of ayocote beans (large Mexican runner beans; use dried butter beans as a substitute if needed).
- Soak them overnight, drain, and then cook them in water (about 6 1/3 cups, adding 1 tablespoon of baking soda as a modern substitute for tequesquite) until tender but not mushy.
- In a large casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or vegetable oil.
- Sauté 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) and 1 medium onion (finely chopped) until translucent.
- Add the drained, cooked beans to the sautéed mixture and let them fry a bit, stirring gently.
- From the cooked beans, reserve a generous handful and blend or mash them together with 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and the equivalent of 1 oz of stale bread or a piece of hard biscuit.
- Return this mixture to the pot with the rest of the beans.
- Adjust salt to taste and pour in just enough reserved bean cooking liquid to cover.
- Let the beans simmer gently.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, fry 7 oz of pork shoulder (chopped into bite-sized pieces), 3.5 oz fresh Mexican chorizo (or spicy sausage), 3.5 oz morcilla or blood sausage (or omit if unavailable), and 1.75 oz of pork cracklings (chicharrón) until nicely browned and cooked through.
- Add all the meats to the beans and allow the mixture to simmer for another 10 minutes until flavors meld and the stew thickens.
- Serve hot in a deep platter, garnished as desired.
Estimated Calories
540 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the ingredients, and 1 hour and 30 minutes to cook the beans and the meats. This recipe makes enough for 6 servings, and each portion has around 540 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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