Mama Chapa Journal: In The Rio Grande Valley, Beans A La Charra Rule The Family Dinner Table...Pintos Fuel Valleyites...

"The right time to eat is: for a rich man when he is hungry, for a poor man when he has something to eat..." - Mexican Proverb

By MAMA CHAPA
Tribune Food Writer

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - It is said of Mexican women that when they gather their thoughts to fix a meal, that they get their best recipes from God. Mama Chapa believes it 100 percent.

My sons, especially my shortest, the one not so smart, always would ask for their favorite: Frijoles a la Charra. I would buy a few sacks of pinto beans and a bushel basket of vegetables, bacon when we had the extra pennies, which was rare in my country of Guatemala. But my physically-eccentric son ate well. He scarfed plates of my Charra beans, with a dozen corn tortillas he'd butter-up. Perhaps that is why he is so short and stocky now. Too many tortillas will keep you close to the ground, is what my father, Antonio, Sr., would say between shots of mescal.

The strange and long-hidden history of Charra beans is not well-known. It all dates back to the days of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, when sex-starved women groupies would ride the revolutionary trains with Villa's forces across the Sonoran Desert of Mexico. One thing would lead to another and beans would be delivered to the women by the hungry soldiers. A campfire would rise from the harsh geography and then a dozen clay pots and then someone would bring gallons of water for the bean-cooking. The women would throw whatever greens they could find into the pot for flavoring. In no time, the overland beans would be steaming and the starving soldiers angling in for a plate of the thoroughly-Mexican delicacy.

So, when my chubby son would cry, I would place a bowl of Charra Beans in front of him, and his eyes would go crazy and then he would stop crying. He would eat and eat and eat and then fart for hours, which was Little Tony's first stab at speaking. His equally short & fat father was the same - beans and beans and beans and then clouds of methane gas. But what's a mother to do? Today, they have Bean-O to stem the passing of gas. My boy tried it, but it doesn't work with him. He farts like a heavyweight champ, in church and at political gatherings even.

I thought of a way to help The Tribune's readers get an inkling of what I am talking about. So I worked up my own recipe for Frijoles a la Charra.

Recipe: For 12 servings.

1 1/2 lbs. Pinto Beans, uncooked
1 gallon cold water
3/4 lb. Bacon pieces, chopped into 1 inch squares
1/2 C. plus 1 Tbsp. fresh Garlic, chopped fine
4 Tbsp. Cilantro plus 1/8 C. Cilantro, chopped fine
1 C. White onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 gallon cold water
1 1/2 Tbsp. Salt
2 C. Roma Tomatoes, chopped

Soak beans in 1 gallon cold water for 8 hours. Drain when ready to use. In a 2 gallon heavy pot, cook the bacon pieces until well done. Do not undercook the bacon. Add 1/2 C. chopped garlic, 3 Tbsp. cilantro, and chopped onions to hot bacon. Cook until onions are transparent. When onions are ready add beans, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and add 1/2 gallon cold water. Turn heat to medium low. Add salt and stir. Cook beans slowly until fork tender (approximately 1 hour). Stir constantly to avoid burning the bottom. Add tomatoes, the 1 tablespoon of garlic, and cilantro, and serve.

Hopefully, your boy will not stop growing. I often think my boy blames me for being short, and for being picked-on by everyone in town. But that chaparro gordiflon still eats his beans...

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[Editor's Note:...Any connection read into this story related to names is strictly unintended and coincidental. It should also be noted that Editor Patrick Alcatraz loves his Tex-Mex food...]