When my husband and I were in Mexico City, Mexico last year, word got out to our hotel restaurant staff that I was a food lover and blogger. I think they assumed my blog had a zillion followers and I’d published cookbooks, because every time we had a meal in the hotel’s restaurant that served local cuisine, the chef would appear with a variety of dishes. I’ve never been so full in my life!

One day I was served a variety of sopas – some topped with zucchini flowers, cactus, fried chicarron, and more. All with salsas and guacamole. Phew!

Then the chef brought what he referred to as a bean sauce in a fairly large bowl. We ate it with chips. I could have drunk the sauce it was so good. Here it is, topped with a bit of crumbly cheese.

I was emailed the bean sauce recipe from the concierge of the hotel, in broken written English. My husband speaks Spanish fluently, but he had a difficult time deciphering it. What did make sense is that Bayo beans were used in the recipe. Of course I was able to find them on Amazon.

Below is the recipe as best as we could make out.

Bean Dip or Sauce

Beans:
1 pound bayo beans
Broth of choice
1/2 white onion
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 avocado leaves

Dip:
4 1/2 ounces vegetable shortening or lard
1 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic, quartered
4 dried Guajillo chile peppers, prepped
2 dried Ancho chile peppers, prepped
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
12 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 ounces white vinegar
Cotija cheese
Soft flour tortillas

Place the beans in a large pot and cover with chicken or vegetable broth. Place the onion and garlic in with the beans. Stick the avocado leaves into the beans.

Bring the beans to a boil, then cover and lower the heat. Cook for about 1 hour, then uncover and let cool. I had to cook mine longer, about another 45 minutes.

For the remaining recipe, heat the shortening or lard in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and give it a stir. Add the chiles, the oregano, cumin, and then the tomatoes. Over medium heat, give the mixture a stir and add the vinegar. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove the onion, garlic, and leaves from the cooked beans and discard. Drain the beans into another pot or bowl to collect any liquid. Place the beans and the tomato mixture in a large blender jar. Blend until smooth. Add extra bean liquid if necessary.

Taste for seasoning. I added 1 teaspoon of salt. Serve warm topped with cheese.

Serve with tortillas. And chips!

This bean dip is wonderful. My husband is more sure of it being like what we enjoyed in Mexico City than I am, but nonetheless it is really good.

We also took a cooking class while in Mexico City. Here I am making black bean tlacoyos and my husband is grinding the beans for them.

The tlacoyo were served with a green sauce and crema. Delicious!